Editor's Note: (8 December 2011) There is an important update to this story. The companies associated with Jude Kirk – "Countrywide Insulation" and "Vision and Network Australia" – have subsequently been cleared of any wrongdoing or blame in relation to the death of Matthew Fuller, and no charges were laid against them. As a result of the investigations into this matter, the subcontractor involved in the incident, QHI Installations, pleaded guilty and was convicted of a breach of the Electrical Safety Act for failing to provide adequate training to its workers.

Serious questions have been raised about one of the companies involved in the Federal Government's home insulation scheme and the training the business gave its workers.

The ABC has been told that one company the Federal Government accredited last year had a history as a telemarketing business and no prior qualifications in home insulation.

Within weeks of the company gaining accreditation, one of its workers was electrocuted while putting foil insulation into a home in Queensland.

Documents given to the ABC by a whistleblower who wants to remain anonymous raise serious significant concerns about the company - Vision and Network Australia.

Prior to July last year, it operated as a telemarketing business, selling phone deals, energy and Pay TV options.

But in September last year, it also had the business names Countrywide Insulation and Queensland Home Insulation registered.

The company had also applied to the Federal Government to become accredited under its home insulation program.

The ABC understands that when the company director was told the Federal Government had stopped processing accreditation, the director called the Environment Department to apply pressure and it is claimed that within days the company was told its application had been approved.

Within weeks of that approval, 26-year-old Matthew Fuller, who had been working for that firm, was dead - electrocuted at a Meadowbank property in Queensland while trying to install foil in a roof.

The ABC sought an interview with the director of Vision and Network Australia, Jude Kirk, who said he would need some time to respond to the ABC's questions.

Lawyers for Countrywide contacted the ABC, saying the company had sub-contracted the installation work for the Meadowbank job to a company owned and operated by a fully qualified and experienced electrical contractor.

The statement went on to say the company was working with authorities investigating the death and would make no other comments.

Safety fears

Meanwhile, insulation groups, unions and Department of Environment officials have met - without Environment Minister Peter Garrett - to talk about the future of the home insulation program.

Ahead of Monday's meeting, the Electrical Trades Union's John Ingram said he would be raising the issue of training.

"The Minister should actually look at the department because advice was certainly given by the department on behalf of our skills council early last year about electrical hazards and electrical training people should have," he said.

"I think ... the Minister should certainly look at the advice he was receiving from the department, whether that was correct advice or not, because industry far and wide have been calling that things aren't right in this industry."

Four workers have died since the insulation program started and three of the deaths have been linked with the use of foil insulation or metal staples.

Mr Ingram will be pushing for a total ban on the retro-fitting of foil insulation in existing homes.

"We're certainly looking for the ban of foil in insulation because that has been one of the major concerns as electrical hazards have been occurring with the installation of foil," he said.

"So [we want] an immediate ban and a future ban on foil with the insulation program."

Lindsay Fraser from the construction union, the CFMEU, is concerned that the people training workers on how to install insulation are not up to scratch, and he wants their credentials checked.

"There's a system in place now for audits," he said.

"We believe the audits are not being done properly, that people are being rushed through these courses.

"We have anecdotal evidence of this and we want to see it being enforced the way it should be."

Calls for faster audit

The Opposition's environment spokesman, Greg Hunt, says Mr Garrett should have been at the meeting, instead of travelling to northern New South Wales for an environment announcement.

"The Prime Minister should instruct Mr Garrett to come back from the bush and to get back to Canberra to be part of the solution to help provide a national emergency plan for the deadly roofs; this is a national emergency," he said.

"With 48,000 homeowners wondering 'is it my roof?' - and we know that there are likely to be 1,000 deadly roofs - no sign of Mr Garrett.

"One hundred house fires, 1,000 roofs, $1 billion worth of wasted money and real human tragedies."

Mr Hunt says the Government should have a plan in place within two days on how it will audit the 49,000 homes, and says this should be done within two weeks.

"We need to make sure that finally it's the professionals that do the job, not the shonks, and the resources have to be made available," he said.

"Mr Garrett is off on a frolic in the bush whilst the people who need his help are trying to do the work."

Mr Garrett says he is focusing on his duties as Environment Minister instead of engaging in "political debate".

"There are going to be silly bits of claim and counter claim around issues as part of the political debate, but my obligation is to fulfil the responsibilities I have as Environment Minister," he said.

"This is a very important announcement that we've made today."

Mr Garrett says he did not attend the insulation meeting as it was not going to decide anything.

"I instigated this meeting today because I want my department and technical experts to sit together and talk through issues and bring back the advice to me," he said.

"This is not a decision-making meeting, it's a meeting that I myself want to see happen and my expectation is that my department and experts will provide me with the kind of advice that I need to make additional, further decisions if necessary."

Since its phone hotline was set up last week, the Government says more than 5,500 people have registered to have their homes checked for electrical hazards.