(Transcript from World News Australia Radio)
A Royal Commission into deaths and injuries linked to the Rudd government's home insulation scheme is underway in Brisbane.
The inquiry, which will run until June next year, will also investigate the affect the program had on the reputation and profits of long-standing home insulation businesses.
Amanda Cavill reports.
Four men died while working on the roll-out of the so-called pink batts scheme set up in 2009.
Three of the men were Queenslanders Matthew Fuller, Rueben Barnes and Mitchell Sweeney.
The fourth, Marcus Wilson, was from New South Wales.
Their families believe the $2.8 billion program, implemented by then-Prime Minister Kevin Rudd to inject money into the economy during the global financial crisis, was rushed and lacked adequate safety standards.
It is expected Mr Rudd and former Environment Minister Peter Garrett could be called as witnesses.
Establishing the royal commission to inquire into the deaths was an election promise from the coalition government.
Brisbane lawyer Ian Hanger is the Royal Commissioner.
He says he will be focusing on new information that can cast light on just what happened.
"A number of inquiries have already been held into various aspects of the home insulation program. They range from administrative reviews to government processes, to coronial inquests into the deaths of four young men. My present intention is not to repeat the examination and finding of those inquiries nor do I intend to endlessly traverse matters which have already been examined."
Unions are urging the Royal Commission to consider national industrial manslaughter laws.
Mr Hanger's also been urged to ensure the inquiry's focus is worker safety.
The chief executive of Master Electricians Australia, Malcolm Richards, says the Royal Commission needs to look at how to prevent further deaths in the future.
"We're actually looking to the future. Three of the four young fellow who died would still be alive today if we still had functioning safety switches on the wires that they came into contact with. So we've been urging all state governments across the land to implement retrofitting of safety switches to all circuits in all homes as a matter of priority. And we want to make a submission to the Commission that they should actually recommend this to the state government as an outcome."
Mr Hangar says there are ten terms of reference he will look at including the process and basis of government decisions while establishing the program including risk assessment and risk management;
The Commission will also examine whether the death of the four men could have been avoided, what if any advice or undertakings given by the government to the industry were inaccurate or deficient.
Mr Hangar says he will also be looking at what steps the government should have taken to avoid the tragedies.
"I will have a particular focus on the way in which the government identified, assessed and managed workplace health and safety risks, and whether the government had sufficient regard for those risks in developing and implementing the home insulation program. I will investigate whether the government sought or received advice or warnings when establishing and implementing the program and if so what action was taken in response."
The details around which witnesses will be summoned are yet to be released.
It's believed that the commission has been allocated funds to provide legal counsel to former ministers.
Opposition Leader Bill Shorten has written to the government asking that the Royal Commission focus on workplace safety.
Mr Hanger has until June 30 next year to provide a report of his findings and recommendations.
