I want to start this post off by saying that there is no workplace fatality that should be excused, accepted, or expected. No matter what the industry is (with the possible exception of the military) workplace fatalities are not and should not be a part of everyday life.
As we all know there have been two politically motivated Royal Commissions recently.
One is in Sydney and is the witch hunt into unions in a desperate bid to find more corruption and slush funds, which is funny, because they have ignored allegations against Kathy Jackson despite a mountain of evidence that is readily available.
The other is what I call the “Batty” Royal Commission in Queensland which is looking into the Rudd Governments Pink Batt scheme and the unfortunate deaths of four young men. This Royal Commission has finished hearing testimony and we now await the findings to be handed down.
So far the taxpayer has spent millions but learnt nothing new. This is what Abbott calls “ending the waste”…
Another Tony Abbott Royal Commission
The Pink Batt scheme rolled out as part of the Rudd Governments stimulus scheme after the Global Financial Crisis wreaked havoc on economies all over the world.
The idea of the stimulus scheme was to keep the economy moving and keep unemployment at low levels, and despite the Coalition complaining and the right-wing press finding some waste it worked a treat. Australia became the envy of the western world with a booming economy and an extremely low unemployment rate.
However it was the four unfortunate deaths during roof batt insulations that cast a shadow over the entire scheme.
But is that fair?
Roll out the wild accusations…
I have been holding off on writing my views on this matter for quite a while now. However after reading an Alan Austin article on Independent Australia about the failure of the main stream press to acknowledge testimony from key witness Peter Garrett and their continual efforts to only show one side of the story, I could bite my tongue no longer.
Not only that, but if one were to believe everything they read in the News Ltd press you would assume that Peter Garrett had been taken up to testify in shackles at gunpoint as he was apparently “forced” to give testimony.
Tony Abbott, the Coalition, and every right-wing nut job loony would like us to think that the actions of the then Labor government killed these four poor souls.
The Coalition would also like us to think that the Labor government ignored warnings and advice.
Even if this were the case should the government really change its policies and schemes on the off-chance there may be a few accidents?
Bear this in mind, 16 men were killed on the job building the Sydney Harbour Bridge. Does that mean should we not have built it?
Some may say these men who died installing batts were not working for the government, they were working for small businesses doing work that was being subsidised by the government.
That is absolutely true.
Peter Garrett – Thrown under the bus or just a political scapegoat?
According to Safe Work Australia statistics, the largest number of workplace deaths in 2013 comes from the transport, postal, and warehousing sector with a total of 52 fatalities.
Using the same logic that Tony Abbott and others on the right are using these road fatalities should be blamed on the Fuel Tax Credit for heavy vehicles put in place by John Howard in 2006. After all it encourages greater use of roads by heavy vehicles, which has an impact on civilian casualties also. Don’t expect a Royal Commission into that to be announced any time soon though.
Some types of work are always going to be more dangerous than others that much is obvious.
It is also clear to most that in some industries there are always going to be shonky employers.
One only has to watch A Current Affair or Today Tonight to find there are employers who cut corners with safety on a daily basis. We see these employers on TV all the time, staff working on a roof without a harness or safety equipment, people being forced to work in dark, damp, and unsafe work environments.
Those employers who put those young men up in those roofs did so with clearly nowhere near enough priority put on training or safety. It is painfully obvious that the priority was clearly given to the fast buck instead. These are the people who should be held to account for the tragic deaths not the politicians aiming to help bring consumers energy bills down and stimulate the economy.
One could argue that the deregulation brought in by the Howard government and the attacks on unions, particularly in the building industry weakened workplace safety and also contributed to the scenario that led to these unfortunate deaths. Unfortunately it is hard to hear logic when the media are screaming for a witch to be burnt.
However, it is the employers whose shoulders these deaths should firmly rest upon, not Howard’s, Garrett’s or Rudd’s.
What has me completely and utterly shaking my head in bewilderment is that a government claiming to be in a “Budget Emergency” can waste millions of dollars on a Royal Commission into a government scheme that they claim cost four lives while they implement policies that will undoubtedly cause the deaths of many.
This is hypocrisy at its extreme.
To take the guilt from the dodgy employers and place it at the feet of a former government whilst telling thousands they will no longer be able to afford a trip to the doctor for themselves or their children seems hypocritical in the extreme.
To seek to take political advantage of the deaths of four young men whilst telling others their age they will not be able to receive Newstart unless they take up this type job working for shady characters is obscene.
To tell people of the age group of the young me killed that they can expect to still be working in the roof of someone’s house at 70 is utterly diabolical.
Still, under a government led by Tony Abbott I guess it’s what we should expect.
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About time someone finally said what had to be said. As for our ‘government’ they seem to be setting out to do some ‘poor, young, sick, old and ethnic cleansing’. Will we have a Royal Commission into that?
I watched nearly all of Peter Garretts questioning and answers. He was up front, polite, straight to the point and unless he is a brilliant dramatic actor with yrs experience, he was truthful. His facial expressions covered the full gambit, surprise, horror, sadness, urgency, agreement. I saw no deliberate hedging, evasiveness, playing for time, the tell tale Abbott signs of lying ums and ahs and repeating words slowly.
I agree Wixxy 100%, Peter was set up as a would be scapegoat. He was a strong forthright believable witness, he did his country proud.
Incidentally I was saddened but unsurprisingly, not one of the counsel for the families saw fit to remind the Commissioner of the despicable, cruel, politically motivated actions of then Opposition shadow environment spoke Greg Hunt, blatantly talk to family members of two of the deceased youths on National TV, extracting every drop of blame on the then Labor Govt for their sons death. it was a disgraceful episode, but typical of Hunt and the Commissioner should have been reminded of it.
Thanks for the article Wixxy, as always you tell it as it is. You don’t receive the accolades you deserve for your work sir.
I have been saying this for years Wixxi. The owners and sub contractors were the ones who bear the ultimate responsibility for these deaths and they also bear the responsibility for the rip offs and the dodgy installs. The government provided money for economic stimulus and environmental good and some decided to do the wrong thing. You have to ask why some of these folks aren’t in the big house.
However, there is no Royal Commissions into other government endeavours that have directly resulted in deaths, such as the incursions into Iraq/Afghanistan on the hearsay of US Intelligence to look for ‘weapons of mass destruction’ defying the intelligence gathered by the UN that held a contrary (& correct) view of the imaginary WMD stockpiles, or the disgraceful & still yet to be held accounted for ‘children overboard’ saga.
Waiting for these to events to be properly investigated is like leaving the porch light on for Harold Holt …. a bloody waste of time!
Now that the LNP have shattered the conventions of cabinet secrecy (not to mention dragging the whole political discourse into the gutter) we can expect much entertainment as every change of government will usher in Stalinesque show trials of the previous lot. The libs have more to lose in this regard so I will get my popcorn ready.
I seem to recall that prior to the HIP there was no regulation of the insulation industry apart from standard OH&S rules.
Didn’t they implement new regs for installers as part of the HIP, in effect making it safer?
Leigh Sales on ABC 7.30 was as bad (@dafid1). She coaxed or tried to coax as much nastiness as she could out of one one the parents .. it was disgusting tabloid stuff. And the latest stuff makes me wonder if they think it will bring their son’s back… it’s a wholly destructive and nihilistic exercise.
The other part of this argument that is never mentioned, is that in percentage terms there was no increase in either deaths nor housefires from the stimulus package installations. There have been deaths and housefires attributed to faulty insulation installation for many years, but there had never been such a huge number of installations performed in such a short timeframe. I have seen figures online (I wish I could remember where) that showed that the stimulus installations were actually safer in terms of deaths, injuries and housefires than what was experienced in the industry in prior years.
This whole commission is a sham!
Why was the wiring so dodgy in Queensland houses? Have any owners or builders or building inspectors been called to account? A good article that puts the issue squarely in context, and that is political. The cynical use of the families of those who died, for political point scoring is appalling. There is no depths to which the Coalition Government will not stoop, if it means scoring a point. It also continually annoys me that the ABC and other media, refer the the ‘failed’ insulation scheme, or the ‘botched’ insulation scheme. Who says it was botched and how do you measure that?
I don’t wish to be crude but one lad who died was a 25 year old qualified electrician who should at least have had the brains to switch off the frigging power.
This is just one more demonstration of the way in which all public policy now comes down to personal experience.
People forget or don’t understand the massive impact that a financial crisis could have have had on Australia. The loss of businesses and jobs would have impacted not only on the economy, but society, culture, community and relationships. The role of the Government is to manage policy outcomes for the entire community, not to guarantee good or bad outcomes for any particular individual.
Instead, personal experiences are now allowed to dictate what is or isn’t good policy. And I agree with your opening remarks that all deaths are tragedies.
Alasdair just one of many reasons why I am not fussed whatever the ABC lose. they brought it on themselves, courtesy of their MD/CEO Scott. the Tory mole. Plenty know about him, none prepared to blow the whistle…c’est la vie pussys…when the axe starts falling, think about what you should have done. Your union must be a piece of shite also. Ask the Ch10 staff, they conformed, now look at them.
Leigh Sales has never got past the Abbott expose` i/v…wheher she got her backside kicked so hard or other threats were made, she never came back from that one excellent i/v…when your boss is a Tory stooge, takes guts to live up to your convictions. Take Uhlmann…yea take him as far away as possible and dump him there.
For Mike http://blogs.crikey.com.au/pollytics/2010/10/19/insulation-fire-risk-%E2%80%93-the-data-is-in/
I think with this Uneccessary royal commission it only Highlights the fact that the Individual installation Companys Have got away scott free, They had a duty of Care for their employess, while it is terrible that people died doing this work,its a bit far fetched to try and Pin the Blame on Kevin Rudd or his immediate Underlings , Tony Abbott once again is being Dishonest to the Max which is Normal for Him Promising a royal commission and actually Keeping his word for once, Knowing as any Normal sensible person would accept the True fact that these Deaths were tragic accidents and the Real Blame if any be directed to the Installers, Sympathies to the Parents, Total Disgust with Abbott for playing on their Feelings
Wixxy
I used the pink batt scheme for my QLDer style house e.g… tin roof.. The blame lies with the HOME OWNERS who let fly by night installers do the work on their house without checking accreditation or getting the proper 3 individual quotes that were required.. No one would let or should let any workman into their house without doing the correct checks first.
My installer used the same tin foil sheeting as it is the best material to stop heat coming through tin roofs into QLD house space .. The problem was with STAPLES that had been banned by industry for many years before this rollout they had to use TAPE so not to pierce electricity cables.. My installer has been in industry 25 years and when checked by govt after all these issues occurred my roof was deemed fine.. I have even had electricians out in last month to work on lighting they are okay with it ..
The deaths occurred because the home owners never did what was required by the scheme and never did checks on the people they let work on their houses… They let dodgy contractors use staples when they were banned by industry …
Abbott & Co just exploiting this tragedy for political gain but still not addressed the Home Owners fault in all of this.