MEA welcomes Coalition’s HIP inquiry promise

The Coalition’s promise to establish a full judicial inquiry into the federal government’s Home Insulation Program (HIP) if it is elected has been welcomed by Master Electricians Australia (MEA).

The Rudd government has ignored warnings in the recently released Queensland Coroner’s report that raises urgent safety concerns, MEA Chief Executive Malcolm Richards said.

“The Coroner’s report has found that the lives of four young tradesmen lost under the HIP could have been avoided,” Richards said. “The scheme was rolled out hastily without proper planning around safety, or proper consultation with industry.

“It has now come to light that there are many more unanswered questions as to what information had been in letters sent to the Prime Minister.

“MEA would welcome the opportunity of a judicial inquiry, in order to ensure a disaster like this is never repeated.”

However, Richards said, the MEA is pleased that its previous recommendation regarding the issue of safety switches has been taken seriously.

“The Queensland State Coroner has recommended that state’s government look again at the issue of installing safety switches on every circuit of every home,” Richards said. “We call on every state government to examine the findings of this inquiry and take action to make safety switches compulsory in every home, on every circuit, in the country.

“We need all of our state governments to urgently act on this recommendation to minimise the risk of similar tragedies in the future.”