Royal Commission into Home Insulation Program report details *litany of failures* by previous government, PM Tony Abbott says (ABC)

The findings of the royal commission into the Rudd Labor government's home insulation program are "grave" and detail a "litany of failures", Prime Minister Tony Abbott says.

The royal commission's final report was today handed down by commissioner Ian Hanger QC and delivered to the Governor-General.

It outlines seven significant failings in the design and implementation of the program, including the speed of the rollout and a failure to identify the risk to installers.

The program was set up in 2009 as an economic stimulus measure to help ward off the effects of the global financial crisis.

The inquiry examined whether the deaths of four installers, along with hundreds of house fires, could have been avoided.

Matthew Fuller, Rueben Barnes, and Mitchell Sweeney, all from Queensland, and Marcus Wilson from New South Wales, died while working on the roll out of the scheme in 2009 and 2010.

Mr Hanger said the then-Australian government "erroneously" regarded the risks to installers of death and serious injury as the responsibility of states and territories to manage.

He said the "states and territories were faced with a program on a large scale, about which they knew little, and which they were not properly resourced to regulate".

Mr Hanger said the states and territories might have done more to inquire about the program and push the Australian government to disclose more about the installations taking place.

But he said ultimate responsibility rested with the Australian government.

Mr Hanger said the Australian government failed to take proper responsibility for the regulation of its own program, by its almost complete reliance upon the state and territory regulatory regimes.

"At no stage did the Australian government ascertain that state and territory regulatory regimes would be adequate to deal with the risks to personal safety and property," he said in the report.

Mr Abbott told Parliament that the Federal Government would provide a preliminary response to the findings by the end of the month, and a final response by the end of the year.

"Four young men lost their lives as a consequence of this bungled program," he said.

"Homes were damaged or destroyed and businesses suffered. I hope that this report brings some comfort to everyone affected.

"It details a litany of failures arising from a dysfunctional culture, so the Government will carefully consider findings and recommendations of this report, which is a timely reminder of what can happen if government acts with undue haste," he said.

"The Government's response will focus on ensuring that such a catastrophic policy failure never happens again.

Families yet to decide whether to seek compensation

Brisbane lawyer Aaron Anderson represented Matthew Fuller's parents, Kevin and Christine Fuller, and the siblings of Rueben Barnes at the royal commission.

He said it was critical that the Government now consulted with the families of the dead men and gave a commitment that the commission's recommendations were followed through.

"We were pleased during the course of the royal commission hearings that a thorough investigation was carried out," he said.

"Kevin and Christine Fuller, after the death of Matthew, made a decision not to go public, not to go to the press on the assumption that something would be done and further deaths would be avoided.

"As Kevin Fuller said during his evidence, he felt extreme guilt, and knowing Kevin very well having lived and breathed this whole process with him for a number of years now, he still feels guilt that he didn't do enough after Matthew Fuller's death.

"Of course, Kevin should not feel any guilt."

Mr Anderson said his clients must now decide whether to pursue compensation in the wake of the findings.

Maurice Blackburn, the law firm that represented Mitchell Sweeney's family, called for compensation to be paid.

The firm said it was considering adding the Federal Government as a defendant to its current litigation against Mr Sweeney's former employer.

'Not up for a political blame game'

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten would not say whether he thought the failed program was a policy failure when asked by reporters soon after the findings were released.

He also refused to comment on whether former Labor minister Mark Arbib needed to apologise for his role in the disaster.

Mr Arbib, a former Labor senator, helped coordinate the Rudd government's economic stimulus program in his role as a parliamentary secretary for government service delivery in 2009.

Mr Arbib told inquiry hearings in Brisbane in May that if he had known three people had been electrocuted in New Zealand by stapling through foil, it would have rung "alarm bells".

The inquiry was told bureaucrats who planned the scheme were warned about the earlier electrocutions of three installers in New Zealand.

Mr Shorten said his colleagues, from the relevant portfolios, would talk on the issues this afternoon.

"We are up for any improvements we can make to safety," he said.

"We are not up for a political blame game."

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