.....I wonder if the investigation will include those contractors who tried to squeeze even more money out of the taxpayer

I hope it does Rache, I also hope it charges those leaches who, not being content with making a fortune, reverted to tearing the batts in half to make even more profit.

The enquiry, as unaffordable as it may be, must not leave any stone unturned.

Like many schemes, it was profit driven and as A rule of thumb profit was about $700 per house, and some were doing three houses per day, seven days per week.

Well actually, they wer'nt, it was the mostly untrained workers who were.

A mate of mine was involved, apparently ligit, he told me it cost $300 for the materials and $200 each for the installers and that the rogue operators would often pull their installers from the centerlink office.

Unfortunately where there is money to be made, there will also be the shonks.

But the fact remains, the shonks would have been shut down and the lives would have been saved had Rudd acted on the expert advice.

He, K Rudd has nowhere to hide with this one and needs to be made accountable for is arrogant actions.

Spindoc I was referring to the host of investigations already completed.
To some those investigations weren't adequate as they did not give the preferred answer.
Abbott with his wisdom and his big mouth, with pledges in blood and impossible promises,has found himself in a corner. Any distraction will do. A record breaking first hundred days in more ways than one. Total incompetence is the norm.

Strangely enough I can contribute to the true statement and question some have about contractors.
SOME contractors are Criminal.
And such contractors getaway with even far worse in working for any shade of government in Australia.
I am not saying most, not all some.
No defense the pink bats race to help the economy and keep jobs was not known for the quality of SOME of its contractors.
Several would be contractors tried to recruit me, by offering to install,even say they had insulation in my already insulated home.
My job saw a unique chance to rein them in, I took it.
No failed and miserable thief/contractor in my time in my DMR/RTA years ever managed to shift their blame to government.
And finally every time I acted on clearly unsafe work practices even in the removal of asbestos I was branded union scum and bad bosses made every effort to make their crime look to be OK and my actions unfair.

Off Topic?
Well no right in the center of it actually.
May I ask that Liberal/National Party followers rather than spit at my cheekiness read about the great fall in governments polling in WA.
At the heart of my thoughts about this threads subject so close you cannot find air between them is Abbotts failure as PM.
We even I, over estimated the man.
Look at that screeching school yard bully Pyne.
Know 7 or 8 more are just like him.
Them comes ah ah gee Tony.
WA polling is not a Labor plot this country in just a very few months is sick of the petulant actions of sad failed Tony.

Dear rehctub,

The Auditor General's Report into the Scheme highlighted
the need for shonky installations to be re-done and for
the crooks to be prosecuted. This has been done!

We have to remember the urgent task
was not primarily to insulate buildings. That was secondary.
The main pupose of the stimulus packages was to get $42 billion
into circulation as rapidly as possible. This they did.
All of the $42 billion ended up precisely where it was
intended - in Australia's steadily growing economy during
the Global Financial Crisis.

The four fatalities in the link I cited
earlier "is one of the most calculated acts of political
bastardy and hypocrisy in Australia's history. Four lives
were lost, several workers were injured and about 120 houses
caught fire in a program employing more than 12,000 people
in the space of a year. During this time a million homes were
insulated. This was up from 67,000 homes a year previously.
of course, those deaths were tragedies. But what was the
rate of house fires, injuries and deaths prevailing
during the Howard years?"

"The CSIRO's basic research developed further by Possum Comitatus
at Crikey - found the rate of fires, injuries and deaths was
actually four times higher during the Howard years than during the
period of the home insulation program."

"the correspondence on the public record and tabled
at all the various inquiries clearly shows that the government
was well aware of the risks AND HAD communicated these to
State Authorities. Contrary to the false assertions in the
Mainstream Media the Queensland Coroner DID NOT blame the
Federal government. Culpability, accoridng to the Coroner
was shared three ways - 1) State Authorities. 2) The Companies.
3) And in one case, the victim - who despite being directed not
to use metal staples chose to do so and died as a direct
result. He also did not turn off the power to the house as
instructed."

"If Mr Abbott feels that this 'disaster' requires another
inquiry, then he hasn't indicated which questions remain
unanswered by the eight or more inquires completed so far."

Abbott fans are desperate at any cost, and this will cost plenty. Answers that will overlap already sieved time, and add to Abbott's private deficit,which has already cost 40 billion in 100 days.