PM denies briefing on insulation risk

Prime Minister Kevin Rudd's office has denied receiving documents warning about the
risks of death, fire or injury from the government's botched home insulation scheme.
Officials in charge of the $2.45 billion stimulus program warned about "extreme"
risks three times in 2009 before it was linked to four deaths, documents given to a
Senate committee this week show.
But Mr Rudd's office has denied receiving copies of the three risk assessment
documents, prepared by a Project Control Group set up to oversee the program, which
were given to the Environment Department and cited in The Weekend Australian.
"The article in The Australian this morning is misleading - neither the prime
minister nor the prime minister's office received copies of the three documents
referred to," a spokesman for Mr Rudd told AAP on Saturday.
Opposition environment spokesman Greg Hunt, however, said that even if Mr Rudd did
not receive physical copies of the documents, it was "inconceivable" that he was not
briefed.
"There's clearly a cover-up going on," he told AAP.
"The prime minister's department and the prime minister's office were awash with
warnings yet nobody appears to have seen them."
The Project Control Group's risk assessments - made on July 31, September 17 and
October 1 - were released after a request from Liberal senator Simon Birmingham.
The earlier report warns of fire damage, injury or death if the products were
incorrectly installed.
A Senate standing committee on the environment had sought access to the documents in
February but they were not released until May.
Mr Hunt said Mr Rudd should appear before a royal commission to answer questions
about the scheme, which has been linked to four deaths and 120 house fires.
"The prime minister's office is not revealing the full truth," he said.
"They will not say whether they received written briefings."
The opposition has previously called for a royal commission to be set up so letters
written in August and October 2009 by Peter Garrett - in his former capacity as
environment minister - to Mr Rudd can be released.
"Letters that have no basis for being secret, no national security reason - they're
being concealed and they must be released," Mr Hunt said.
The opposition also wants Mr Rudd, Mr Garrett and Employment Participation Minister
Mark Arbib to appear before a Senate committee.
The detailed implementation of the home insulation program was managed by the
Department of the Environment.
Mr Rudd stripped Mr Garrett of responsibility for the home insulation scheme in
February, demoting him to environment protection minister.
A spokesman for Mr Garrett said he had not seen the risk register prepared by
consultants Minter Ellison or the Project Control Group until earlier this year.
He said a Minter Ellison spreadsheet, designed to compile risk assessments as they
became apparent, was given to the Department of Environment but not the prime
minister's office.
"The department maintained an ongoing risk assessment process throughout the rollout
of the Home Insulation Program, which informed the nature of advice provided to the
minister."