I am unaware of the phone call that the member refers to. I can only go through the information that I
have already provided, and that is basically that this is a federal government scheme. It was abolished
as of 19 February, but it will be replaced by a new household Renewal Energy Bonus Scheme under
which households will receive a $1,000 rebate. 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 exists between the Office of Fair Trading and the Commonwealth
department to provide details of complaints received against the registered installers to that department.
It is a federal government scheme.
The Office of Fair Trading has finalised 208 complaints regarding insulation since January 2009.
Those complaints received by the Office of Fair Trading related to a multitude of issues, simple requests
for assistance for refunds, complaints about installers’ workmanship, costs, allegations that installers
were overcharging and also issues relating to safety. Details of those complaints are provided to the
federal department. It is a federal government scheme.
The scheme commenced on 1 July 2009. The Office of Fair Trading has received 208 complaints
since 1 January. Six months before the scheme came into being, 27 complaints were received regarding
insulation. In the 7½ months since the scheme commenced, there were 181 complaints regarding
insulation. Of those insulation complaints, since 1 January—that is, before the scheme started—17
indicated some type of safety concern and of those six did not actually identify a safety matter. Six
complaints, which consisted of consumer perception that the product or its installation may have been
unsafe, were not correct. Five complaints actually indicated a safety concern. All five that indicated an
actual safety concern were referred specifically to the federal department. One of those complaints
involved a consumer who alleged that they had been electrocuted as a result of the insulation. That
consumer had already lodged a complaint with the relevant Queensland government agency, the
Department of Justice and Attorney-General.
The unfortunate deaths of Queensland insulation installers by electrocution are matters being
investigated by the Electrical Safety Office and Workplace Health and Safety in the Department of
Justice and Attorney-General.
