By Matt Dunn
SOUTH Gippsland’s rip off scandal has been cut short, after the Australian Government’s Home Insulation Program was canned late last week.
Leongatha octogenarian Maie Riseley was one of the last to be scammed after a company called ‘Feather Insulation’ did unnecessary work and billed the Australian tax payer $1200.
The company took away perfectly good insulation bats and replaced them with their own.
“There was nothing wrong with what was in here. I just feel it was done in a bit of a hurry and they’re ripping off the government,” she said.
“They’re rip offs. It can’t have been policed very well in the first place.”
Ian Smith, of Leongatha’s AW Smith and Sons, had the work assessed as a favour to Maie and The Star.
Many of the companies had preyed on elderly people who could not climb into the roof to check the work.
“It’s a fairly shonky job. They pulled out perfectly good 3.5 glass wool insulation and put about six squares of their own in and charged the government 1200 bucks,” Mr Smith said.
“It’s an absolutely shonky job.”
A manager from the company, who gave his name as Sangh, said he was not aware of any intention to rip home owners off.
He said he would investigate the complaint and call The Star back. The call didn’t come.
Mr Smith said it was important for people to consider who was doing their work for them.
Member for McMillan Russell Broadbent said rip offs that had been occurring were “just outrageous”.
“It shows you that when governments get involved at that level it’s always a difficulty, that’s why I’m opposed to the takeover of rural hospitals by Canberra. If you can’t administer insulation installation, how are you going to administer hospitals,” he said.
Mr Broadbent believes that “cleaning up the mess is going to cost the government an absolute fortune.
“I can just imagine it’s going to be horrific,” he said.
“That’s a shame, because the idea behind the insulation of houses across Australia was a good idea, but badly managed.”
A Senate inquiry into the debacle was told that 400,000 properties that had had work done under the national home insulation program failed to pass muster.
About one million households had had work done, but a study of the insulation being used showed that 30 to 40 per cent was non-compliant.
Senator Stephen Fielding believes the bungle may cost taxpayers one billion dollars.
