Peter Garrett , the Environment Minister, was given legal advice on the possible problems of the Australia-wide rollout of insulation last April .
The advice was released yesterday, as the embattled Environment Minister finally axed the program -- which has been linked to four deaths and 87 house fires -- declaring that the safety risks had become unmanageable.
The advice from top-tier law firm Minter Ellison outlined strategies to tackle serious risks in the program. It warned that the government's timeline was too tight for the program to be delivered in a "properly controlled way" and said the Environment Department was ill-equipped to roll out such a massive program.
Possible house fires and property damage by dodgy installers were some of the major risks identified in the report. It said the government could be liable for damages and that installers should be forced to indemnify the commonwealth against any claims.
The Opposition can smell blood in the water and PM Rudd is faced with a choice of defending gross ministerial incompetence or allowing Abbott to take his first Ministerial scalp - either decision will cost him political capital.
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