PRIME Minister Tony Abbott hopes “grave” findings into the Rudd government’s botched home insulation scheme brings “comfort” to those affected.

The Royal Commission’s final report into the policy was tabled in the Lower House at midday.

“I hope that this report brings some comfort to everyone affected,” the Prime Minister told Parliament.

“The report’s findings are grave and its recommendations are detailed.

“It details a litany of failures arising from a dysfunctional culture.”

Mr Abbott said the findings are a “timely reminder” of what can happen when governments act with “undue haste”.

A preliminary response will be delivered by the government by the end of the month with a final response due by the end of the year, he said.

“The Government’s response will focus on ensuring that such a catastrophic policy failure never happens again,” Mr Abbott added.

He thanked the Royal Commissioner and his staff and the victims’ families “who shared their anguish”.

Labor’s rush to roll out its botched home insulation scheme left installers to carry out potentially dangerous work, the Royal Commission has found.

Ian Hanger AM QC has found the Rudd government’s 2009 policy, which led to the death of four workers, was “poorly planned and poorly implemented”.

“In my view each death would, and should, not have occurred had the HIP [Homeowners Insulation Program] been properly designed and implemented,” he said in the more than 300 page final report.

“The decision to permit the use of reflective foil sheeting as ceiling insulation was, in my view, fundamentally flawed. It directly contributed to the deaths of Mr Fuller and Mr Sweeney.”

Four young men died while working under the program, designed as a way to stimulate the economy during the Global Financial Crisis.

“The reality is that the Australian Government conceived of, devised, designed and implemented a program that enabled very large numbers of inexperienced workers— often engaged by unscrupulous and avaricious employers or head contractors, who were themselves inexperienced in insulation installation—to undertake potentially dangerous work,” Mr Hanger found.

“It should have done more to protect them.”

Mr Hanger said one of the significant failings of the scheme was an “inevitable and predictable conflict or tension” between the aims of the program.

media_camera So young ... Rueben Barnes was only 16 when he died from electrocution while laying insulation in Queensland. media_camera Electrocuted ... Matthew Fuller was only 25 when he died laying insulation in Queensland.

“One aim was to insulate 2.2 million homes and the other was to stimulate the economy.

“Both were doubtless admirable aims but there was an inherent conflict between them: the first required detailed and careful planning over time, and the other required speed.

“In the case of the HIP, planning was sacrificed to speed.”

Mr Hanger recommends further large scale projects have a “succinct and candid” assessment done of the skills needed to deliver it, completed by an agency head with experienced staff.

He also calls for a “more considered” approach when it comes to the Department of Prime Minister and Cabinet overseeing such a policy.

A False Claims Act should also be considered he argues, to crack down on companies committing fraud against the Commonwealth.

The Australian Federal Police Association told the Commission that it understands $24 million worth of fraudulent claims against the policy were written off by the government.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten said he hadn’t seen the report but what mattered to him was the tragedy of four people losing their lives.

“If there are lessons in this report which can improve safety so that other families never have to go through this again, then we will approach that appropriately,” he told reporters.

“We are up for any improvements we can make to safety and the lessons. We are not up for a political blame game.”

The $16 million inquiry, set up by the Abbott government, examined the deaths of four installers and house fires linked to the program designed to stimulate the economy during the global financial crisis of 2008-2009.

The inquiry was told of serious program flaws, limited training for workers and a lack of system checks to prevent rorts.

In May, former prime minister Kevin Rudd told the commission he accepted ultimate responsibility for the program’s failings. But he did not accept that burden alone.

Former Labor environment minister Peter Garrett, parliamentary secretary Mark Arbib and numerous public servants all had duties to monitor certain issues, Mr Rudd said, although he refrained from directly implicating anyone.

During his testimony, Mr Garrett said he accepted ultimate responsibility, as the person charged with rolling out the scheme. But he too said others should share the blame.

“We share responsibilities with those other institutions that equally have them, such as state regulatory bodies, employers, ultimately employees as well,” Mr Garrett said.

Installers Matthew Fuller, Rueben Barnes, Marcus Wilson and Mitchell Sweeney died in 2009 and 2010, three by electrocution. The program was terminated on February 19, 2010.

Originally published as Insulation report reveals ‘dysfunction’