The minister spruiking the home insulation program promised to ring alarm bells if there was any risk of death from the program but ‘‘did nothing’’ after the first insulation installer died, an inquiry into the program has been told.
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The allegation was made during cross-examination of the former Labor senator and minister assisting the prime minister for service delivery, Mark Arbib, during his appearance at the Royal Commission into the Home Insulation Scheme in Brisbane on Monday.
Four installers died during the program – the first, Matthew Fuller, was electrocuted on October 14, 2009, less than four months after the main program started.
Mr Arbib, the first Rudd government minister to appear at the inquiry, had previously given a statement saying he did not have decision-making authority in relation to the program and was not involved in formulating the operational or technical detail – a position he reiterated during his evidence to the inquiry.
He told the inquiry that had he known there was any risk of injury and death to installers from electrocution he would have been spoken to the prime minister and Peter Garrett, and would have been "ringing alarm bells".
Under cross examination by Elizabeth Wilson, representing the family of Rueben Barnes, 16, who died in November 2009 installing insulation, Mr Arbib said the possibility of someone being electrocuted had never been raised to him.
But asked if he raised alarm bells after the first death, Mr Arbib said he understood prime minister Kevin Rudd’s office and environment minister Peter Garrett’s department, which was helping deliver the program, "were dealing with it".
"So the answer to that is nothing,’’ Ms Wilson said.
To which Mr Arbib replied: "My understanding was Mr Garrett and the prime minister’s office were dealing with it.’’
He said Mr Garrett and the prime minister’s office were reassessing the program after the death.
Earlier the inquiry was told that Mr Arbib had asked for a risk assessment of the program on March 6, 2009, because he was "very concerned about the risk of fraud". But he said he didn’t see the risk assessment which dealt with safety issues until early 2010.
Mr Arbib also said during the March 2009 meetings any concern about the risks to people who would work in the programs "wasn’t a matter that had been greatly discussed''.
Mr Arbib was also questioned about what knowledge he had about the dangers of working in ceiling cavities prior to the program starting.
He said he did not know that electrical wiring ran through roof spaces before the electrocution deaths of an insulation installer in a roof.
Asked if he had lights in the roof of his house and whether he knew how they worked, Mr Arbib said: "I had no experience in electrical wiring so I couldn’t tell you how those lights work.''
Mr Arbib was quizzed about being named in WikiLeaks documents as being a close confidant of Mr Rudd. Tom Bradley, QC, representing the state of Queensland, asked if it was true, as stated in the WikiLeaks documents, that Mr Rudd had a tendency to micro-manage.
Mr Arbib agreed with Mr Bradley’s suggestion of Mr Rudd’s tendency to micro-manage but denied this had been the case with the home insulation program.
The program, which was aimed at stimulating the economy and involved giving home owners incentives to insulate their homes, was shut down in early 2010 after 224 house fires and four deaths including Marcus Wilson, 19, who died of hyperthermia in NSW on November 21 and Mitchell Sweeney, 22, who was electrocuted in north Queensland on February 4.
