The ABC has issued an apology to former Prime Minister Kevin Rudd for a news report on the risks of a home insulation scheme.
In January, ABC News reported on a document prepared in 2009 warning of critical risks in the roll-out of the Energy Efficient Homes Package.
In a statement posted on the ABC News website, the public broadcaster said it did not intend to suggest in the report that Rudd “recklessly ignored critical risks of the home insulation scheme before the deaths of four young installers, or that he lied to the royal commission that examined those deaths”.
“The ABC accepts that, as found by the royal commission, Mr Rudd was not warned of, and was not aware of critical safety risks at the time,” the statement said.
“The royal commission made no adverse findings against Mr Rudd and there is no suggestion that Mr Rudd lied to the commission.
“The ABC unreservedly apologises to Mr Rudd for any harm or embarrassment caused.”
The apology comes after Rudd commenced legal proceedings last week against the ABC over the report, labelling it “a lie”.
Here’s my statement on the ABC report on the Home Insulation Program. Abbott’s own Royal Commission on HIP made no findings against me. In fact it found that when I was PM, “there was no warning given of the very many problems with the program.” (p.271) https://t.co/Kux0I7AyZgpic.twitter.com/UP6fcGic5F
— Kevin Rudd (@MrKRudd) January 31, 2018
