Compensation Claim
All three companies increased production and imported extra supplies to meet demand after the government announced a $4 billion home insulation subsidy in early 2009. But the scheme that was championed by Federal Environment Minister, Peter Garrett, was scrapped a year later amid a scandal over shoddy installation and the deaths of several workers who were electrocuted installing foil insulation. The companies now want government compensation for more than $50 million of unused insulation material sitting in their factory yards, with legal action on the cards if the negotiation route fails.