After the insulation scheme debacle back in February, the biggest question was: if you had a dodgy installation, is it more likely that any fire would occur sooner rather than later, and if so, by how much? The data is finally in, explains Possum Comitatus.
Garrett’s roofing insulation scheme
Labor’s form on climate policy: what not to do next
If inroads are going to be made, Labor needs to show some backbone on carbon pricing and mitigation objectives, writes Andrew Macintosh, associate director of the ANU Centre for Climate Law and Policy.
Early leadership surprises in pollution, climate change race
As the political parties look to the race up the mountain to the election, the person wearing the yellow jersey for pollution reduction may come as a surprise to some: it’s Tony Abbott, writes John Connor, CEO of The Climate Institute.
Double-dip recession will hurt our miracle economy
While Australia’s public debt levels when compared with the US or many European nations are low, household (or personal) debt - especially mortgage debt - are among the highest globally.
Four Corners: we stand by our story
Wendy Carlisle, of the ABC’s Four Corners responds to Crikey’s Bernard Keane. Facts weren’t cherry picked and ignored in the “Lethal Miscalculation” story.
What did Four Corners know and when did they know it?
In April the ABC broadcast a strong attack on the Government’s insulation program on 4 Corners. But why was a key document omitted?
Colless: The cost of jobs at any price
Jobs, jobs, jobs: it’s been Rudd’s mantra ever since the GFC hit and it explains the insulation debacle and the BER scheme. Except its an unrealistic and phoney concept, writes Malcolm Colless.
Shanahan: The five problems niggling Rudd’s election itch
Rudd has five major issues threatening his re-election chances: asylum seekers, the insulation program, wastage in the BER, the mining tax and himself, writes Dennis Shanahan.
Tips and rumours: Tips and rumours: Fixing the insulation mess
One of my best mates has picked up one of the insulation checking gigs. He only has to do five of the inspections per day as the punters need to be at the houses to let him in.
Rudd poll dancing to a different tune by trying too hard
Kevin Rudd is learning a difficult lesson, not only politics, but in popularity. That is: if you try too hard to be liked, you almost certainly won’t be.
Grattan: We expect politicians to lie
Rudd may flipping u-turns all over the place — the ETS, asylum seekers, insulation — but people don’t trust Tony Abbott enough to put him in the driver’s seat, writes Michelle Grattan.
Peter Garrett is exonerated, nobody cares
A detailed report on the insulation saga shows what went wrong — and, incidentally, just how badly wrong the media was in savaging Peter Garrett.
Shanahan: Rudd the wimp goes batty
Kevin Rudd has done a backflip on the infamous insulation scheme and abandoned it. Now $1b will be used to fix it and Rudd didn’t even have the balls to announce it himself, says Dennis Shanahan.
Farrelly: Garrett sold his soul for nothing
Peter Garrett was the heroic rock star, the environmental warrior. Now he launches the tourism master plan for the Kakadu National Park. When did Garrett become the hapless travelling salesman flogging Brand Australia? asks Elizabeth Farrelly.
Berg: Politicians make crap managers
The government is the biggest business in Australia, but we’ve got politicians, not business people running it. Managing people and money is not the same as a desperate thirst to be PM, writes Chris Berg.
Hadley: BER = Blunder-filled Education Rort
Is Gillard’s BER going to be a similar story to Garrett’s insulation scheme saga? It may not have the deaths involved, but the money being wasted is criminal, writes 2GB host Ray Hadley.
Foil insulation: a lot less scandalous than you may have heard
The media narrative that the Government’s foil insulation scheme was a total disaster is a massive oversimplification — one which ignores history and mathematics, says Rodney Tiffen.
Gottliebsen: Giving the public service a serve
It’s time for a serious shake up of the Canberra public service. Good policies are being destroyed by incompetent management unable to deal with new or large plans, says Robert Gottliebsen.
Tell us your electrical horror stories
All of the problems with the insulation program causing electrocutions and fires appear to be originating from poor, sub-standard and pre-existing electrical work. So, dob in dodgy electrical work to Possum Comitatus.
Your Say: Daily Mail readers' feedback: ABC to Keane: listen before you attack
The ABC’s Head of National Programs Alan Sunderland responds to Bernard Keane’s attacks on the ABC. Plus, Crikey readers weigh in on Spinning the Media, Rundle’s UK and health cards.
Turnbull: Just ’cause Kevin looks nerdy, doesn’t mean he knows what he’s doing
Prior to the 2007 election, Kevin Rudd has us all fooled as the workaholic bureaucrat, obsessed with policy. But really, Rudd’s all spin, with no dedication to follow policies through, writes Malcolm Turnbull.
Tips and rumours: Tips and rumours: Abbott’s spooky new staffer
Tony Abbott’s new foreign affairs adviser is an international man of mystery, Anthony Chisholm could be facing a factional bloodbath, non-profits cashing in on the insulation scheme and more hot tips from Crikey readers.
Davidson: Leave Garrett alone!
Kenneth Davidson defends the embattled Peter Garrett over the insulation saga: the scheme was flawed, but the construction industry has the second highest level of fatalities of any industry.
Whistleblower tells of chaos and conufusion behind insulation saga
Glenn Milne has an email from a Deptarment of Environment whistleblower, who claims the pink batts program was just a power struggle between Peter Garrett and Mark Arbib, focused more on PR than good policy.
Community programs done best by lower-level operators
Programs that deliver services to communities tend to be better carried out at lower levels for good reason, writes Stephen Bartos.
