see in the media, the Commonwealth Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts is
responsible for the administration of the homeowner and insulation protection program. It is part of its
$4.5 billion package that aims to improve the energy efficiency of Australian homes, as we are aware.
The situation is that on 19 February 2010—a few weeks ago—the federal government announced the
closure of the home insulation and hot water rebate schemes. As part of the ongoing consumer
protection role, the Queensland Office of Fair Trading receives and considers complaints against
insulation installers. A memorandum of understanding between the Office of Fair Trading and the
Commonwealth Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts has been established to
enable the Office of Fair Trading to provide details of complaints received against registered insulation
installers to that department.
The Office of Fair Trading has finalised 208 complaints regarding insulation since January 2009.
Those complaints received by the Office of Fair Trading cover a broad spectrum of consumer issues, as
members would expect. They include simple requests for assistance to obtain refunds, repairs,
replacement and warranty issues, complaints about installers including the workmanship involved with
installation and approaches made by traders offering to install products. The cost has also been an
issue. There have been allegations the installers were overcharging in order to collect a full rebate.
There were also concerns raised about safety issues, in particular regarding downlights and foil
insulation. They amounted to five complaints. Details of all complaints, including those five complaints,
have been provided to the federal Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts or
referred to the appropriate regulatory agencies where they are involved.
