Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is again to the Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts. As the minister has now admitted that he was made aware of the risks identified by the Minter Ellison report in his regular briefings with the department, will he now finally and definitively inform the House of the precise date when he was first informed about the Minter Ellison report?

Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the honourable member for his question. Neither I nor my office received the Minter Ellison risk management plan until 11 February 2010 and it was not provided to my office until that time. Neither I nor my office saw the risk register dated 9 April and tabled in the Senate committee yesterday until it was provided to my office yesterday.

Tony Abbott (Warringah, Liberal Party, Leader of the Opposition) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Mr Speaker, I rise on a point of order to do with relevance. I asked when he was informed of the report not when he received the report.

Harry Jenkins (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The minister is responding to the question.

Peter Garrett (Kingsford Smith, Australian Labor Party, Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I have said previously I am not suggesting for one minute that I was not aware of risks in rolling out this program, including those that were identified to my department by Minter Ellison, by industry bodies, by state agencies or by other experts. From the commencement of this program my office was kept abreast of how the program was developing, the risk assessment processes that were underway and the issues likely to be identified as part of that assessment process right through the design and implementation of the Home Insulation Program. That included not only the material that came through to me by way of advice from the department but also the material and advice that came through as a consequence of roundtables which I attended, advice to my office, correspondence and direct discussions with officials.