Already under fire over the government’s foil insulation scheme, the scrutiny on Peter Garrett is set to reach boiling point today, with a report on last night’s ABC Lateline revealing that thousands more Australian homes could be at risk of fire from poorly installed solar panels, due to lax regulations and standards.

Meanwhile, the insulation scandal continues to burn, with dodgy businessmen and criminals coming out of the woodwork, and the Aluminium Foil Insulation Association calling for an immediate end to the scheme, with claims that up to 400,000 homes could be at risk.

With attacks on Garrett heating up again — and the wider debate on ministerial responsibility running equally hot, thanks to Stephen Conroy — he better slip, slop, slap.

The Australian

Jennifer Hewett: Who’s gonna save me?

Rudd has no desire to wear the political cost of losing another minister, at least not yet … But that level of support isn’t guaranteed to continue if the political damage is seen as too great.

Sydney Morning Herald

Miranda Devine: Spin and silver tongues can’t hide an empty morality

Every day the bungled home insulation program provides new disasters and every day the government jumps through linguistic hoops to avoid admitting responsibility, as if spin alone will absolve it.

Herald Sun

Neil Mitchell: Stop hiring star pollies

… celebrity politicians can become dangerous because they usually don’t have the crucial political instincts, and don’t understand the culture, the accountability, or the boring things they must do to be on top of their game.

Sydney Morning Herald

VIDEO: Tim Lester: Counterspin: Ministerial responsibility

minister response

ABC

Barry Cassidy: Yes Minister, No Minister, Sacked Minister?

… surely common sense demands that before Peter Garrett is sacked, there should be coronial inquiries to determine why four people died, and who was responsible?

Elsewhere…

Fake Steve Fielding, GroupThink: Rock and roll politics

Rock and roll music killed those poor tradesmen; you can take the devil music out of the boy but you can’t take the boy out of the devil music.