Yesterday I gave a commitment to the House to report back about a teleconference on 29 April. At the
invitation of the federal Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts, DEWHA, the
Queensland Office of Fair Trading participated in a teleconference on 29 April 2009 to discuss the
Commonwealth’s proposed Home Insulation Program. The Queensland Office of Fair Trading provided
input on consumer protection issues concerning possible false and misleading representations and
dodgy suppliers and marketing practices.
A memorandum of understanding was subsequently put in
place between DEWHA and the Office of Fair Trading to facilitate the exchange of information on
consumer complaints received by the Queensland Office of Fair Trading. The Queensland Office of Fair
Trading has liaised with the Queensland Electrical Safety Office and other relevant agencies on issues
which fall outside the Office of Fair Trading’s jurisdiction or area of expertise. The home insulation
scheme is a Commonwealth initiative and, as such, all complaints regarding the federal government’s
insulation scheme have been referred to the appropriate federal department, the Department of the
Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts.
