Rudd moves to get govt back on track

(AAP) - Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has moved to heal the festering sore that has sidetracked his government for more than a fortnight, demoting Peter Garrett for his role in the insulation debacle.

In an attempt to give the government clear air for its upcoming health policy
release, Mr Rudd has sidelined Mr Garrett, currently his biggest political
liability.
The former Midnight Oil frontman has been stripped of a key element of his
environment portfolio, losing responsibility for energy efficiency, which now
becomes part of the climate change department.
Fallout from the botched insulation program, which was axed last week, has drowned
out government attempts to promote its policy agenda.
It will be a significant problem for the government if its major health and hospital
reform announcement, expected in coming days, is lost in the furore over the
insulation bungle.
Opposition Leader Tony Abbott, however, showed no signs of giving up on the issue,
accusing Mr Rudd of leading a government in "full crisis mode".
He suggested Mr Rudd's half-hearted response to Mr Garrett's mismanagement of the
scheme would be little comfort to the victims of the insulation scheme, linked to
four deaths and nearly 100 house fires.
"This is a government operating under the pressure of political panic," he told
reporters on Friday.
"What we've seen today is a prime minister who not only can't manage the home
insulation program, he can't even sack a minister properly.
"Peter Garrett should simply have been sacked."
Mr Rudd admitted Mr Garrett faced "reduced" responsibilities but has still kept the
minister in cabinet.
"There is no point sugar-coating this," Mr Rudd told reporters at a hastily-convened
media conference on Friday afternoon.
"This does mean a different range and reduced range of responsibilities for Minister
Garrett."
After weeks of insisting Mr Garrett was a first class minister, Mr Rudd has finally
cut him loose - but only in a fashion.
Mr Garrett was told of the move on Friday afternoon.
"I indicated to him the course of action I'd be taking. He accepted my decision," Mr
Rudd said.
Mr Garrett will keep responsibility for environment protection, as well as his
existing portfolios of heritage and arts.
The latest effort in damage control came as Mr Rudd moved this week to take direct
charge of the damaging insulation issue, accepting personal responsibility for the
mess.
On Thursday, Mr Rudd expressed disappointment in himself for not asking more
questions about the trouble-plagued program.
But in a parliamentary hearing on Friday, officials revealed neither Mr Rudd nor
senior ministers had questioned the safety of the scheme.
Mr Abbott accused Mr Rudd of cunningly using Mr Garrett's demotion to draw attention
away from his own culpability.
"I fear much of these late afternoon manoeuvring are designed to distract attention
from what would have been his acute personal embarrassment ... (for) asking no
questions whatsoever," he said.
"What emerged in evidence today is that there was a don't ask, don't tell policy
operating."
Rising political star and former ACTU boss Greg Combet will be charged with winding
up the failed insulation scheme and delivering a new program the government has
promised by June 1.
It means Mr Garrett, whom the opposition has targeted during question time, will no
longer be able to be put in the spotlight on the issue in the parliament.
In a statement late on Friday, Mr Garrett continued to defend the job he had done in
rolling out the insulation program, which was part of the government's economic
stimulus measures.
"As I have said previously, rolling out a program of this size and scale has not
been without its problems - problems I have recognised and endeavoured to address at
every stage," he said.
He welcomed the opportunity to focus on his "key interests and passions" in
environment protection, heritage and the arts.