ALMOST a quarter of inspected households that received insulation under the government's botched $2.45 billion roof batts scheme were found not to comply with Australian building code standards.
Climate Change Minister Greg Combet today released detailed analyses of the safety program adopted by the government after last February's closure of the insulation program which led to the deaths of four workers.
A CSIRO assessment found 24 per cent of the roughly 140,000 homes inspected were in breach of the building code.
But Mr Combet said this did not relate to fire risk, which was now at a comparable level to that which existed prior to the commencement of the insulation scheme.
Mr Combet said the targeted household inspection program would be wound up after a promised 150,000 checks had been made.
But households could continue to request safety inspections until June 30, 2012.
Mr Combet said that, according to the advice of consultancy firm Booz and Co, further targeted inspections were unnecessary.
The company recommended that the government could cease its safety program after 110,000 home inspections but the government said it would meet its original commitment.
“Doing further inspections is not likely to have a material impact on the reduction of risk,” Mr Combet said.
“Notwithstanding that recommendation, the government of course had committed to do at least 150,000 homes.”
The CSIRO said the fire risk prior to the commencement of the home insulation program was 2.4 incidents per 100,000 installations.
The risk of fire among homes installed under the government's home insulation program had now dropped to 2.5 incidents per 100,000 homes.
“It is now comparable to the pre-existing fire incident rate,” Mr Combet said.
“The government's key priority has always been safety. The government's inspection programs sought to reduce the fire risk associated with the (home insulation program) and reduce it to a level comparable to that which existed prior to the commencement of HIP. “
Mr Combet said the government had now completed its inspection of the approximately 50,000 homes which had received foil insulation under the scheme, although some homes had declined the inspections.
He said the government was likely to reach its target of inspecting 150,000 non-foil installations under the scheme in the next two or three months.
The inspections had cost the government about $190 million, Mr Combet said.
Acting opposition environment spokesman Simon Birmingham said by winding up the inspection scheme, the government was hiding the true extent of the insulation scheme debacle.
He said one million households remained in the dark over the safety of their insulation jobs.
“A million homes have not been inspected,” Senator Birmingham said.
“Labor must state what the expected defect rate in these homes is. And they must outline a plan to rectify defects in these homes.”
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In the past year around 50,000 homes with foil insulation have been inspected and repaired. (ABC News: file photo)
A quarter of buildings inspected under the Federal Government's home insulation scheme did not meet building codes, the Climate Change Minister has revealed.
But Greg Combet, the person charged with fixing the trouble-plagued scheme, says that does not mean buildings fitted with insulation under the program were at risk of fire.
There were at least four deaths and 200 house fires reported before the program was scrapped in February last year.
"What we are talking about is a failure to strictly comply with Australian building codes standards, but that does not mean the same as a fire risk," Mr Combet said.
In the past year around 50,000 homes with foil insulation have been inspected and repaired, and more than 100,000 homes with insulation batts inspected.
Mr Combet says the CSIRO reports that before the insulation program, the risk of fire was 2.4 homes per 100,000 homes.
"The risk of fire under the program has fallen to 2.5 homes per 100,000 - a comparable figure," he said.
The Minister says a risk assessment company retained by the Government has said any more inspections beyond those done now will have no impact on fire risk.
More than 1.1 million houses were insulated under the home insulation program, which cost $1.4 billion.
Actually, 220 fires in 1.2m homes insulated is less than 2%, better than before the program. And fire doesn’t mean burned down to the foundations, might have been a fire alarm going off and fire brigade putting out a small roof fire.
What a fuckup this govt is. One fail after the other.
No wonder they are supported by losers like you.
Loser govt, loser supporters
Quote by Aussie: I was a long term dead beat, wife abusing, drunk, black Muslim, on the dole for decades prison escapee having been convicted of paedophilia
The code was tight to the point that the most infitismal things mean that a job didn't comply 100%. It does not mean that a job was not safe or correct. Much of it was the equivalent of not inserting a sheet of photocopy paper into the machine at exactly 90 degrees to the corner and within 0.5 mm of the edge.
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Leftwinger wrote:I never cease to be astonished at the sheer volume of fuckwittery churned out by your half-split pea brain.
I am never astonished at the levels you will stoop to support this fuckup of a govt. You're more of a fuckup than they are.
At least they admit they made a mistake, axed the program, spent billions on rectifying their fuckup and demote the minister responsible.
You, you fucking one eyed, left brained swanny choad licking mutant continue to excuse this miserable program and govt.
How fucking stupid are you?
Quote by Aussie: I was a long term dead beat, wife abusing, drunk, black Muslim, on the dole for decades prison escapee having been convicted of paedophilia
Do the children in the playground teach you this stuff?
The children stole his marbles
Quote by Aussie: I was a long term dead beat, wife abusing, drunk, black Muslim, on the dole for decades prison escapee having been convicted of paedophilia
