Insulation in Australian to be Taken Out

by Ben Packham

HE parents of a dead insulation installer have blamed Peter Garrett for their son's death.

In an emotional submission to an inquiry into the botched insulation scheme, Kevin and Christine Fuller also accused the Federal Government of failing to learn from their son's electrocution, allowing two other young installers to suffer the same fate.

Matthew Fuller, 25, died in Brisbane in October while installing foil insulation.

His parents accused the Environment Minister of poorly managing the $2.45 billion scheme, refusing to heed warnings and denying accountability for the deadly consequences.

"They ... wanted to do a good day's work for a fair day's pay - and the system killed them," they said.

As the Government prepares to launch a revised scheme, the Fullers said they were concerned safety problems would continue. They asked: "When the minister and his government department cannot acknowledge their previous errors, how can the Government be sure ... that all Australians will be safe with the new system?"
Last week the Government announced foil insulation would be removed from up to 50,000 homes; another 150,000 residences with ceiling batts would require safety checks.

Treasurer Wayne Swan said yesterday the cost of repairs would cut the number of people able to access the scheme which launches in July.

However, he also said the Government was determined to reopen it.

"There is an industry out there that has invested, there is an industry out there that has done the right thing and we think it's important to do the right thing by them," he said.