Page 846 - Week 03 - Tuesday, 16 March 2010
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… there have been no complaints received by our regulatory agencies in relation to dodgy practice.
That is from Hansard of 11 February 2010. Yet again he reiterated:
There have not been any matters brought to the attention of ACT regulatory authorities about poor installation.
That is from Hansard of 11 February 2010. Yet we are now aware, through documentation received in an FOI, that there were documents and that there were grave concerns raised by departmental officers regarding the home insulation programs. We know that Mr Corbell wrote a letter to Peter Garrett and that Peter Garrett replied. We have heard Mr Corbell say that he did not believe that shoddy operators were a problem in the ACT. However, he did acknowledge that three house fires currently under coronial investigation could have been a result of dodgy insulation installation.
The minister and his friends the Greens will say that this is merely a case of semantics, a case of nitpicking over what constituted dodgy insulation installation. This is not the case. Simon Corbell has repeatedly misled the Assembly and the community about a program that had the potential to kill people and, at the very least, destroy property. The ministerial code of conduct clearly states that ministers should exercise due diligence. In fact, it states clearly:
Ministers should exercise due diligence, care and attention, and at all times seek to achieve the highest standards practicable in relation to their duties and responsibilities in their official capacity as a Government Minister.
The preamble of the ministerial code of conduct states:
The position of Government Minister is one of trust. A Minister has a great deal of discretionary power, being responsible for decisions which can markedly affect individuals, organisations, companies, and local communities.
Being a Minister demands the highest standards of probity, accountability, honesty, integrity and diligence in the exercise of their public duties and functions.
That the Assembly censures the Attorney-General for persistently and wilfully misleading the Assembly in relation to the home insulation scheme is not a frivolous matter. It is not a frivolous motion, Madam Deputy Speaker. This is a motion that goes to the heart of how we conduct business in this place. I am disappointed that yet again we see a lack of real substance from our colleagues the Greens. This wishy-washy attitude, staying away from the hard issues, is becoming a pattern with the Greens, our so-called third-party insurance—a pattern that does not go unnoticed in the electorate, I might add.
Mr Stanhope: Who is it you are censuring here, Steve? Mr Corbell or the Greens?
Ms Bresnan: It’s us.
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