Former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd is expected to be among those called to give evidence at a Royal Commission into the now obsolete Home Insulation Program.
The hearing that has commenced in Brisbane and will consider evidence from at least 20 witnesses involved in the scheme, which saw four men lose their lives and hundreds of homes caught fire as a result of poor installation and questionable safety standards during the program.
Witnesses will include former and current federal department chiefs and former ministerial advisors, and former environment minister Peter Garrett is expected to have legal representation present on his behalf.
The $2.5 billion Home Insulation Program was created as part of a stimulus package that promised to help the Australian economy rise from the global financial crisis. Home owners and insulation installers were offered rebates in order to encourage environmentally friendly home insulation and to create jobs for the Australian workforce.
The former government dumped the program in 2010 but is still answering questions regarding the deaths and damages that are argued to be a result of the initiative.
