I’d agree that Bolt’s explanation is likely, too.

Peter Garrett now faces tough new questions.

THE Environment Minister was allegedly aware of cheap imports reeking of toxic chemicals.
The insulation imports were reported to be “reeking” of the harmful chemical formaldehyde, the Herald Sun reports.

A Melbourne insulation industry leader, Warrick Batt, said last night he’d raised concerns about formaldehyde in a meeting with the Environment Minister.

Mr Garrett has faced Liberal claims in Parliament that he ignored 13 warnings of safety problems that led to the death of four roof insulation installers.

The Herald Sun has learned that several insulation industry leaders raised concerns with Mr Garrett about formaldehyde in the batts being imported from China, Thailand and the US.

Formaldehyde has been linked to respiratory problems and cancer.

Its use is not specifically banned, but Australian companies being undercut by imports say the foreign-made product is not up to standard and could pose health risks.

Mr Batt, managing director of Melbourne-based Autex, said he met Mr Garrett three times in the past six months.

“I told him we were aware some imported product had high levels of formaldehyde,” Mr Batt said.

“Mr Garrett effectively said if that was the case, and we could prove it, he would call for action to be taken.”

Mr Batt said he had told Mr Garrett that it should not be up to businesses to police their competitors.

Doug Mill, the managing director of the Demand Group, sent a letter to Mr Garrett warning that high temperatures in the roof could “release gases such as formaldehyde”.

Other senior industry figures, who did not want to be named, confirmed they had written to the minister.

One letter described the imports as “reeking of formaldehyde”. Another gave examples of roof installers vomiting when they opened bags of the foreign insulation.

Andrew Bolt’s explanation for Rudd protecting Garrett rings true:

Garrett did indeed worry about his scheme being too quick-quick and chaotic. But Rudd’s office would not let him slow down and leave Rudd looking like he’d goofed again.

Dude you need to use the medications consistently or you end up in a really confused mental state

There are a lot of houses out there that should be rewired – anything built prior to around the 1950s with that old rubber cabling

a. I never liked Midnight Oil. As a friend once said to me in the 1980′s “every song’s a whinge”.

b. JC is right. If Garrett is locked into a redundant anti nuclear position, he’s actually more of a problem for the planet than a help;

c. I can still feel a little sorry for him because I bet at every stage he had some public servant in his ear saying about the warnings “yeah, well they would say that wouldn’t they.”

The first inkling I got over here that this was very bad was a batch family email from one of my brothers (who happens to be a sparky) assuring the rest of us that no, he ‘wasn’t doing any of those insulation jobs’.

I knew nothing of the history, or that there have been ongoing issues with it.