A few words on Bernard Keane’s rant against Four Corners for its coverage of the botched pink batts program “Lethal Miscalculation”.
Keane accused us of “cherry picking” the facts — to whit — ignoring the findings of the former bureaucrat Allan Hawke’s report into the home insulation scheme so that we could make a story about government bungling, when, according to Keane, the real story was that environment minister Peter Garrett had been cleared of wrongdoing. (see his story Peter Garrett is exonerated and nobody cares)
Trouble is Keane is not right, far from it.
As executive producer Sue Spencer told Crikey last Friday, we thoroughly examined the Hawke report just days before we went to air. We concluded that it supported our story, so we posted it on our website.
Hawke said the aims of the $2 billion program were to stimulate the economy and insulate homes, he observed: “any objective assessment of the HIP will conclude that, despite the safety, quality and compliance concerns, there were solid achievements against the program objectives.” In other words — despite the fact that upwards of half a million homes will have to fixed at enormous cost, despite the fact that the fraud was “simply alarming” (Hawke again), and despite the fact that four young men died, the economy was stimulated to the tune of $1.2 billion.
Our whistleblower pointed out that Garrett’s department knew that turbo-charging an unregulated industry with $2 billion and not regulating it would make an unsafe industry more unsafe. Senior bureaucrats were advised that under these circumstances fraud would be rife, that people could die.
This prescient advice was ignored. We know now that the auditing and inspection regime — despite claims by Senator Arbib that it was “robust” and minister Garrett it was “significant” — were window dressing. By September when more than half a million homes had been insulated, only 172 roofs had been physically inspected by a grab bag of Medicare staff, departmental bureaucrats and other “inspectors”.
When Hawke noted that Garrett had responded in an appropriate and timely manner following advice from his department, once can only ask what on earth was going on in the culture of DEWHA that bullied this fearless advice coming through the ranks? And more importantly, why didn’t Garrett know what was going on in his own department?
Wendy Carlisle’s next story The Spilling Fields about the Montara and Gulf of Mexico Oil Spills, will be broadcast on ABC Radio National’s Background Briefing on Sunday July 4 at 9am.
Perhaps Ms Carlisle of the ABC should explain why we the viewers, should believe the words of the “so called “, whistleblower? Sorry in Ms Carlisle’s words, “our whistleblower”. Since when is a whitleblower ours? Does he belong to the ABC? Did you manufacture him/her? or is it an unfortunate use of words? More needs to be answered about the ABC’s mole.
Long before all this insulation beat-up – yes we regret very much that four young men died in rooves/roofs in the past year
I report that my own – very experienced – very smart electrician – aged in his 40-50’s also died from electrocution in a roof where he was working.
Considering how long this has been happening in the states with no-one reporting, questioning or condemning the state government or industry I think “cherry picking” is pretty accurate.
As I read and digest Ms Carlisle and her complete denial of everything BK wrote, perhaps she would reflect on these words of hers…”Our whistleblower pointed out that Garrett’s department knew that turbo-charging an unregulated industry with $2 billion and not regulating it would make an unsafe industry more unsafe. Senior bureaucrats were advised that under these circumstances fraud would be rife, that people could die.” Again this is all so much a who do we believe? commentary. A whistleblower, who could be anyone, with an axe to grind? The Senior officers? The Minister? or Ms Carlisle?
Given the ABC blatant bias against the PM and his Government, in news and current affairs reporting, I am deeply suspicious of this “our whistleblower”. Is he/she still employed by the Dept? With their stated inside knowledge of all that was said and revealed, surely he /she could not remain. Surely that agrieved troubled conscience disallows continued association with this horrendous Ministry. Or is this just a shadowed figure, suddenly created to add maximum benefit to a massive beat up. Behind the shadow of a face and the disguised voice, just what are we to believe. Perhaps a cosy job within the ABC as reward.
I concluded, after seeing the programme, there is more than meets the eye to the complilation and presentation of this 4Corners. Nothing Ms Carlisle has written changes that, merely leaves the door wide open for speculation. A very poor effort then and now. But the ABC hardly presents itself as an unbiased media outlet these days. I cannot see what they expect to get out of an Abbott led Government, apart from the odd whiff of incense.
It surely cannot expect more loosening of the chains, past experience of Howard and Co should make that abundantly clear.
Looking over Ms Carlisle’s previous journalistic work shows only anti Rudd and Labor articles for Their ABC.
The facts that one of the four dead died of heat stroke or that the program improved health and safety tenfold from previous mortality rates are irrelevant to this lady.
Quite simply put, anything you read from this cherry picking lady has no credit and displays the current underhandedness of the ABC.