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The Pink Bat Rip-off

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3.8 Billion for insulation? What will they think of next?

About 2.2million homes will get free ceiling insulation, saving families $200 a year on energy bills, as part of the Government's new economic stimulus package. The Government will also double the $500 ceiling insulation rebate for 500,000 rental properties.

The scheme is designed to give the economy a quick shot in the arm, putting people to work installing the insulation, while also providing a lasting environmental benefit. It is expected to reduce greenhouse gas emissions by 49.4 million tonnes by 2020, the equivalent of taking more than one million cars off the road each year.

Seems like it is working a little bit too well.
 
Part of Krudd's 50,000 new jobs announced at the conference was to train 4,000 house insulators. You could train a monkey in five minutes to do what these guys do.
 
Calliope said:
Part of Krudd's 50,000 new jobs announced at the conference was to train 4,000 house insulators. You could train a monkey in five minutes to do what these guys do.
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If you did that training industry would not get their chop.
 
Why all the vitriol directed towards the Government? I have reservations about many aspects of the recent stimuli to the economy too but surley the issue here is the theft from the public purse by unscrupulous tradesmen. No doubt the same tradesmen who rort the GST. Did the same people now attacking Rudd attack Howard and Costello over this?

I have had pink bats installed under the scheme and while I believed that the tradesman was overcharging - but the second quote I got was even dearer! Perhaps there should be some sort of random auditing and prosecution of those who have been dishonest.
 
brianwh said:
Why all the vitriol directed towards the Government? I
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Because it is "the Government" that is so free and loose with the taxpayers' money and with so few safeguards, that is encouraging corruption. The rorters and bottom feeders are now in a feeding frenzy. The sad thing is that the majority don't see a problem.
 
brianwh said:
Why all the vitriol directed towards the Government? .
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Because they didnt really THINK about the implications of both the handouts and the infrastructure spending. A school here in SA has been awarded over $100,000 for improvements. Guess what, the school is closing down at the end of the year. Many are desperate for airconditioning so they dont have to send kids home when it gets over 37 degrees! They aren't allowed to spend this money on airconditioning so they applied for funding for a school hall - they dont need school halls coz they already have them. How many dead people received the $900? And how many people living overseas received it?
 
Prospector said:
Because they didnt really THINK about the implications of both the handouts and the infrastructure spending.
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I am sure there are plenty of good arguments that can be mounted (especially in hindsight) that the stimulus could have been handled better. But my point was that the focus of our animosity should be towards the people ripping us off. If governments only did things that couldn't be abused, then not much would be done. I suggest that we are too willing to tolerate various forms of theft from the public purse. For example how many of you have known of someone evading tax, even boasting about it or how many of you have had a tradesman do a job for you and quote 2 prices, one with GST and one without?
 
At least insulation does have a long term value which is more than can be said for spending $900 on the pokies or a plasma TV that will be at the tip 10 years from now. Insulation should last the life of the house and provides an economic return via ongoing energy savings.
 
brianwh said:
But my point was that the focus of our animosity should be towards the people ripping us off. If governments only did things that couldn't be abused, then not much would be done.
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You make a valid point brian. I guess the criticism of the government comes from the fact that the scheme has been slapped together and implemented hastily as a knee jerk reaction to try to stimulate the economy and the wastage levels are thus likely to be high. But as you point out, wastage and rorting are a fact of life. I'd question whether the government is going to get a real return on this investment, and if they aren't then its a hasty deployment of capital that could have been better deployed elsewhere.
 
Just repeating my hope that you will dob these rats in to Fair Trading, Calliope.
 
Yet another thread dominated by the labor/Rudd bashers...why are u guys so bitter? u lost...get over it already, and to think u people have at least 6 years of whining to go.

Maybe the mods could just merge all the Rudd bashing/whining Liberal threads into 1
 

I am failing to see your logic.

would you prefer that these people(insulators) were unemployed and the government paid them a benefit instead?

would you prefer that the government spent it on the likes of upgrading their computers and renovating their offices or other various numb nut ideas etc?

If a job is created , that money will eventually return the full circle through spending and taxing ,so what's your problem?
 

It all depends on whether you are a taxpayer footing the bill for the billions being recklessly thrown around, or you are one of the recipients of this largesse. I guess I am biased because I am paying for the rip-offs.
 
An installer I was speaking to said that to be eligible to become an approved installer you have to have already been in the business and be qualified (what ever that takes) prior to the grant coming in as to keep out the unscrupulous persons who try to take advantage.

Another point he stipulated is that there will be and has been numerous random checks on the installers jobs which include cost charged compared to square meters of the house from details provided by the council.
 
seasprite said:
I am failing to see your logic.

If a job is created , that money will eventually return the full circle through spending and taxing ,so what's your problem?
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Yes very true. I believe the stimulus package # 3 in K.rudds bottom draw will involve taking money off productive tax payers and distributing it to two groups of unemployed real estate agents. first will plant trees in drought prone areas, second group will come along 6 months later and remove the dead treas so as to wipe any evidence of such an ineffective waste of tax dollars.


But hey nice little circle and lots of "jobs" in it
 

You are right. An installer seeking to do work for this rebate program must be on the Australian Government's Installer Provider Register. The requirements and process for getting onto the register are here: Information for Insulation Installers.

In brief, the requirements are:
1. OH & S requirements;
2. Licenced builder, electrician, carpenter... etc.;
3. Insulation specific training and experience (certificate from RTO etc. ;
4. Industry experience.

Full details can be accessed on the link (above).

There are evidentiary requirements for showing compliance with the above 4 points.

There are also Terms and Conditions of Registration, available on the link (above).
 
brianwh said:
the issue here is the theft from the public purse by unscrupulous tradesmen.
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The only thing necessary for unscrupulous insulation installers to triumph is for good men to do nothing. (With apologies to Edmund Burke.)

Calliope, why don't you pick up a phone and let someone know what is happening in your part of the world there?

Contact details are found here: Energy Efficient Homes Package

HOTLINE
1800 808 571

or email: http://www.environment.gov.au/energyefficiency/contacts/index.html
 

I'd prefer to pay less tax and use the money in productive ("job generating") investment that will demonstrate superior ROI to sticking roof bats in my neighbours house.
 
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