SHONKS MOVE INTO INSULATION

Unscrupulous insulation companies are using terms such as “authorised” to mislead homeowners into thinking they are Federal Government-approved installers, Queensland Senator, Sue Boyce, warned today.

“I’ve received two suspicious calls to my home phone in two days and I understand dozens of others have as well.

“The callers used terms like: ‘We’re working on the Federal Government’s insulation campaign’ and ‘The Federal Government has authorised us to insulate up to 3 million homes for free’.

“In both cases, the message is designed to make the homeowner think the company is working on behalf of the Federal Government and has government approval,” Senator Boyce said.

Senator Boyce said she had spoken in the Senate in February against the dangers of the Government’s poorly conceived insulation subsidy plan.

“I warned that the scheme would attract a whole lot of cowboys to the industry in the same way the rainwater tank subsidy did to that industry.

“The result will be that the reputable companies will be undercut by shonks, and homeowners and suppliers will be left out-of-pocket and with shoddy workmanship,” Senator Boyce said

“It would be far more sensible for the Government to spread its subsidy across numerous energy and water-efficient industries so the cowboy element is not as attracted.

“But this waste of taxpayers’ money is what we’ve come to expect from this Rudd Labor Government that doesn’t understand business,” she said.

Senator Boyce urged homeowners not to deal with any company that had not been installing insulation for at least three years. She suggested that older homeowners to ask a friend or family member to check that the insulation had been properly installed before the installer left the premises.