When I penned my thoughts on the stimulus package last year I had this to say:
Stories are also beginning to emerge of micro-wastage. Over-charging by contractors will haunt these projects for so time.
A plumber friend of mine has recently tendered for a number of jobs created via the government school hall scheme. Despite having quoted 3 times his normal price he has won 85 percent of the tenders. However, in each of these tenders he has not included the cost of plumbing required to get to the actual hall. So once his job is complete no water will be able to travel to or from the building unless they engage him to do more work. He believes this will add an additional cost of 100 %.
If all the money is being spent on the halls themselves it is an open question as to who will pay for the water to be actually connected. No doubt, the Commonwealth will try to shift the cost onto the States or even the local school communities. A lot of lamington drives and school fetes are going to be needed to tidy up this mess.
It just gets worse. The pure incompetence and bungling of the package has caused, at least, four deaths and several house-fires. It now threatens the lives of many more people.
ENVIRONMENT Minister Peter Garrett is under pressure to offer free safety checks for 37,000 houses with potentially deadly foil insulation installed under the government’s stimulus package, after he suspended the program today in the wake of four deaths.
And the Rudd government has ordered a second inquiry into a troubled program which offers cheap loans of up to $10,000 to “green” homes, conceding it is not working properly
On Monday, The Australian revealed an audit of almost 1000 homes in Queensland has found that in about 2 per cent of cases, foil insulation was installed inappropriately, causing the roof to become “live”.
This means that if home owners enter their roof space and touch the insulation, they could be shocked or electrocuted.
If the foil touches metal frames or pipes, it could cause other parts of houses, including taps, to become electrified.
The Rudd government came under pressure in question time today over the insulation scheme which unions warn risk turning hundreds of homes into death traps.
Update: All homes with foil insulation to be inspected. Hotline number 131 792 starting Thursday morning.
Foil insulation is mandatory under all iron roofs. It is used in every house built in the last few decades as a moisture barrier.
What has happened is that it has been used inappropriately – in NZ there have ben deaths when fixers stapled the foil to electric cables – and that was underfloor.
rog
9 Feb 10 at 8:37 pm
This is why Garrett doesn’t have the ETS.
This is also why there shouldn’t be an ETS unless it is all, always, straight up auctioned.
One of the major weaknesses of the Rudd government is that everyone must have prizes.
In many ways they would have been well served if the GFC had really hit us, then they would have to show some real discipline.
As it stands this is one of a few things that makes people who voted for Rudd like me turn.
Pedrox X
9 Feb 10 at 8:42 pm
its probable that foil should be not used to retrofit homes – stick to bulk products like batts or fibre
rog
9 Feb 10 at 8:43 pm
Hey Rog, If you cut into that foil in a few places to investigate what’s going on below do you need to tape it back?
JC
9 Feb 10 at 8:46 pm
It depends
rog
9 Feb 10 at 8:50 pm
on what?
JC
9 Feb 10 at 8:52 pm
On a lot of things – just tape it up
rog
9 Feb 10 at 10:01 pm
Should I tape it up or replace it? Make the call Rog?
JC
9 Feb 10 at 10:03 pm
Replace it? what are you talking about?
You said you cut into it in a few places to have a look and I said tape it back up.
Now it sounds like you did more than just have a peek.
As I said…it depends on a lot of things and one of them is to give a proper detailed description of the activity, not just a vague reference
rog
9 Feb 10 at 10:15 pm
And try not to drive any metal objects thru the power cables
rog
9 Feb 10 at 10:16 pm
Yea I had most of it ripped away in area as I thought we had a problem up there with a freaking possum that may have died in the cavity of the roof. There was nothing in there though as the handyman couldn’t find where I thought it was.
The freaking useless builder left a hole in the side of the roof wall area that allowed possums to get in and the idiot who blocked it left a damned possum in there that died in there somewhere.
It’s cavalcade of morons I had working on the house; building it and later fucking it all up.
So the sheet is basically ripped in a certain area.
JC
9 Feb 10 at 10:31 pm
Never in the course of human history has so much been spent on so little
Samuel J
9 Feb 10 at 10:32 pm
I DO find it interesting that all the people who wish to give more power to the people now believe they have NO responsibility when buying a product and the person doing the job has no responsibility either.
The Government has ALL the responsibility.
you really are all Big Government luvees
Butterfield, Bloomfield & Bishop
10 Feb 10 at 8:56 am