Green Loans Program Assessor

Life After The Green Loans Program Closure

2011-02-28T11:04:00.001+11:00

What are you planning to do, after the closure of the Green Loans Program? Please make your vote count and copy this shortened link of this blogpost http://bit.ly/f0KgJ2 to as many assessors as possible.

Leave your comments also on this blog post here at GLP Assessor.

Information is edited / supplied by GLP Assessor at http://glpassessor.blogspot.com.

RIP : End Of Days For The Green Loans Program

2011-02-28T10:27:00.000+11:00

RIP - GLP Assessors

Today the 28th of February 2011, is the last day of the Labor Government's failed initiative Green Loans Program.

No doubt Peter Garrett will be sighing relief, as he can finally wash his hands of the whole debacle!

A Green program, where the Government & ABSA could not decide between themselves who was really responsible for over training on the numbers of assessors. Where the assessor was initially told 1000 assessors would be trained, only to see tsurnami of ABSA training before Christmas 2009! Creating a 10000 assessor overload. Nothing more than a grab for cash, by fat cat trainers! In some cases these same trainners being ABSA board directors! With only 4400 of these assessors only being offered contracts!

Where a simple feedback loop involving both parties, would have stopped ABSA, the accreditation body for assessors, from over-training in numbers. Very easy, but for some reason too hard for both parties to get it right!

Was there a conflict of interest from the start where you have a board of trainers fattening their pockets? As assessors, we now know there was, as the stink was in all areas!

Some of us no doubt will be glad to wash our hands of working with the Government, with all it's failings that have been affecting our daily lives. Some us will be questioning whether during this whole debacle, ABSA has really stuck up for it's membership? To this day I question still whether I would back the bet that ABSA can holding itself high with a strong backbone, on my behalf! Making me feel as if it has done it's best, not whether it has only done the minimum? Personally I know what I feel of both parties. Both I say are to blame with a big conflict of interest within ABSA, where it is the only representative body for the assessor!

Enough is enough! I would like to wish all those assessors the best for their futures, whether in the Green world or not. I am aware many of you will steer clear of supposed green initiatives, due to this debacle costing you dearly!

This blog will be left live, for us all to see how not to create a Green initiative that is:

Badly designed.
Badly managed.
Open to fraud.
Has conflicts of interest.
Costing Aussie workers dearly

Good luck with whatever you do, from here on.

RIP GLP!

Information is edited / supplied by GLP Assessor at http://glpassessor.blogspot.com.

Green Loans Assessors Action Group : CLAAG

2011-02-28T09:54:00.000+11:00

Maximise The Outcome - Join CLAAG

Are you a member of the Green Loans Assessors Action Group. If you did the Green Loans Program training you should be!

As we're all seeking compensation from the Government in charge at the time, of this failed Green incentive. An career we were told! Where many assessors were left out of pocket from day one, due to departmental mismanagement!

All assessors need to join this group, as you will have been shafted by one of the following:

Never received a contract after forking out thousands on training.
Not being able to book appointments due to call centre overload.
Limited to only five appointments a week, after Peter Garrett's department's short comings.

We all need to join together as a collective, to maximise the possibilities of a positive outcome.

Here is the link to Green Loans Assessor Action Group.

Information is edited / supplied by GLP Assessor at http://glpassessor.blogspot.com.

ABSA Survey GLP Government Assistance Packages

2011-02-28T09:37:00.000+11:00

Take The ABSA Survey Now!

With reference to the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency's two assistance schemes for home sustainability assessors. ABSA is conducting a survey, looking for assessor's responses on this important matter.

If you did not, or have not as yet taken the survey, drop GLP Assessor an email to get the link. We have not posted the link live, as we want to make sure we are not repsonsible for skewing the results from non-assessors.The survey is open to both contracted & non-contracted assessors.

The quick survey contains questions about the end of the Green Loans Program, the assistance packages, and plans for assessor's future. ABSA would be grateful if you could complete this short survey, telling them what you think and what effect the announcement has and will have on you.

ABSA will we hope share the findings of this survey with DCCEE. Not just sharing but importantly standup for it's members!!! All responses will remain anonymous.

Information is edited / supplied by GLP Assessor at http://glpassessor.blogspot.com.

Green Loans Program Training Assistance Package

2011-02-28T09:17:00.000+11:00

On 21 December 2010 the Government announced support for accredited assessors. This includes a $15 million training assistance scheme to assist accredited assessors to further develop their professional skills and credentials.

Under this scheme the Government will refund 50 per cent of the tuition fees (up to $2,500) for accredited assessors that enroll to complete the new Certificate IV in Home Sustainability Assessment. Payments will be available for those who have enrolled in and paid for courses commencing before 30 June 2012.

For more information visit the Department Of Climate Change & Energy Efficiency website here.

What are your thoughts about this training package offer? It would appear that it is not readily available as of yet!

Information is edited / supplied by GLP Assessor at http://glpassessor.blogspot.com.

Green Loans Program Financial Assistance Package

2011-02-28T09:00:00.000+11:00

Small Offerings For A Failed Career!

On 21 December 2010 the Government announced that to assist those affected by decisions on the Green Start and Green Loans programs, it was setting aside $30 million to assist uncontracted assessors and support accredited assessors to receive further training.

This includes a $15 million Financial Assistance Scheme to be delivered to assist uncontracted assessors who undertook the necessary measures to become Green Loans assessors, but were not contracted to deliver services under the program.

Under this scheme direct financial support of up to $3,000 will be provided to cover a number of specific costs incurred during the accreditation process.

For more information visit the Department Of Climate Change & Energy Efficiency website here.

As always we ask you to leave your comments on this important matter, as it may help to improve the compensation offered, not just for this program but others in the future that fail due to department mismanagement.

Information is edited / supplied by GLP Assessor at http://glpassessor.blogspot.com.

The Brown Loans Program : GLP RIP

2011-02-12T19:26:00.000+11:00

Only with a few weeks to go of the infamous Green Loans Program, Peter Garrett must be itching to wash his hands finally of his mis-managed fiasco!

You may be looking forward to washing your hands Peter, but it has been said and felt by many of the hard working Australians you shafted, this brown goo you will never be able to wash off! Never! During your inactive.. OOPS Sorry Peter! Time left in Parliament....

Information is edited / supplied by GLP Assessor at http://glpassessor.blogspot.com.

Green Start Senate Committee Recommendations

2010-11-05T17:39:00.000+11:00

Quote from Senate Committee Enquiry:

"Given the publication of the Auditor General's report into the Green Loans Program and subsequent to the conduct of this inquiry, the committee recommends that the Commonwealth Ombudsman consider conducting an own motion investigation into the administrative actions and arrangements within the Department of Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities and the Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency, that resulted in the serious problems with governance and communication endemic throughout the Green Loans Program."

It will be interesting to note which of these 15 recommendations will be taken onboard.

Read the Senate Committee Recommendations

Information is edited / supplied by GLP Assessor at http://glpassessor.blogspot.com.

Assessors Will Never Forget GLP BAD MANAGEMENT

2010-10-18T22:38:00.000+11:00

The Auditor General's Report is a must read for all those people thinking of working with Government. One can see from the report into the GLP, that a lack of management and what private business would see as commonsense, is simply not present most of the time. Failings common place around every corner.

After reading the report there has to be serious doubt about staying involved in the new Green Start program. It is not a matter of thinking change but logics, commonsense and financial survival.

Quoted from the report:

Aspects of the program had not been administered to the standard that the Government and the community expected. The Minister also noted that:

around 4000 of the 7500 assessors had been contracted under the program, but with the program capped to 5000 assessors, some assessors would not receive contracts to work under the program;
over 210 000 of the program’s 360 000 assessments (58 per cent) had been completed in the first eight months of the program;
only 84 000 assessments (40 per cent of completed assessments) had been sent to households and there was a backlog of around 100 000 assessment reports yet to be sent out to households;
the delay in dispatching assessment reports was a contributing factor to the low uptake of green loans—only 1705 loans had been approved by participating financial institutions at that time;
Green Rewards cards had not been distributed to households; and delays in paying assessors were mostly due to incorrectly rendered invoices (with around 50 per cent of invoices incorrect or incomplete when first submitted).

Program changes announced on 19 February 2010 effectively capped the number of assessors and the demand for assessments, but also left thousands of assessors, who had each invested their time and around $3000 on training, insurance and registration, with unfulfilled work expectations.

The backlog of assessment reports to be distributed continued to grow to over 100 000, which denied many householders the opportunity to apply for an interest‐free green loan. - End quote.

How could anyone really be cleared of such a fiasco, beats me........

Information is edited / supplied by GLP Assessor at http://glpassessor.blogspot.com.

Skeletons In The Green Loans Program Call Center

2010-10-18T22:20:00.000+11:00

Thank you to the Auditor General's Report for stating what assessors could only assume as the obvious, when being stopped from booking appointments early in 2010.

Quote "During the six-week period between the resumption of contact centre operations after the Christmas closedown (11 January 2010) and the announced caps on bookings (19 February 2010), the contact centre received 290 798 calls, only a quarter of which entered the queue."

Information is edited / supplied by GLP Assessor at http://glpassessor.blogspot.com.

Green Loans Program Audit Report 29/09/10

2010-10-03T08:23:00.006+11:00

The following is quoted from the ANAO Australian National Audit Office's website, regarding the recently released audit into the failure of the Green Loans Program.

"On 3 February 2010, Senator Christine Milne wrote to the Auditor General raising concerns about DEWHA’s administration of the Green Loans program and requesting a performance audit of the program. Issues raised included: uncapped assessor numbers; problems with the delivery of the program; the quality of assessor training and assessments provided to households; the lack of an audit facility within the program; and equitable access to work under the program.

In light of Senator Milne’s request and other concerns in relation to the administration of the program, the Auditor-General agreed on 25 February 2010 to conduct a performance audit of the program. The objective of the audit was to examine key aspects of the establishment and administration of the Green Loans program by DEWHA and the program’s transition to DCCEE. Particular emphasis was given to the program’s three main elements:

training, registration and contracting of assessors;
scheduling, conduct, and reporting of home sustainability assessments, and the associated payments to assessors; and
provision of green loans to householders, and the associated payments to participating financial institutions.

The audit also examined the extent to which steps had been taken by DEWHA and DCCEE to assess whether the Green Loans program was achieving its objectives."

Visit the ANAO website here or download the audit into who was responsible here.

Please use this blog to leave your comments on the audit. And if like GLPAssessor you still feel that you have been let down by both the Government and ABSA, leave your vote on this site.

How can you have a professional body in charge of training, that knowingly over trains, or allows the supposed allocation of assessors to grow to an unsustainable number, knowing that the system will break?

Could a system such as that, if having trainers on the board ever argue their way out of a conflict of interest? And could such a system be their really 100% in favour of voicing assessors opinions in a true honest sustainable workplace, for all parties concerned?

We must remember that a similar Green Loans Program operated in the UK. Where the only winners before the system over trained the nembers, were the Fat Cat Trainers.....

Information is edited / supplied by GLP Assessor at http://glpassessor.blogspot.com.

Green Loans Program Assessors Think Change At The General Election

2010-07-29T12:14:00.006+10:00

Green Loans Program assessors 'Think Change', when it comes to the Green Start Program being offered as an alternative career option, by Penny Wong at the Department Of Climate Change .

As an accredited assessor are you going to change your vote at the General Election?

Information is edited / supplied by GLP Assessor at http://glpassessor.blogspot.com.

Green Start Program : Assessors Vote Yes Or No?

2010-07-29T11:43:00.007+10:00

Green Start - Think Change : The Department Of Climate Change is offering Green Loans Program assessors, a supposed transparent change over, to a Green Start Program via a grant application.

As an accredited Green Loans Program assessor are you going to apply?

This Government is surely making it hard and difficult for independent Green Loans assessors to wonder what the point is, to attempting to stay in a Green Workforce! Why does this Government come up with good ideas but fail to apply them in a sustainable way?

Personal initial thoughts on the application are, it seems to have been formulated for large business. And did we not learn how those large businesses were affecting our own individual small businesses before?

And to offer assistance in the form of Job Services Australia is just another 'stick in the eye' from this Government. Since when does the average independent assessor want to apply for a grant, that will be offered on 'value for money' in the departments eyes!

As an independent assessor what are you going to do? And if you are going to steer away from the Green Start Program why?

For those of you who have not read the application fully here is the link.

Pay special attention to how you are allowed to advertise your services. No Cold calling is allowed!!!! Door or phone!

Information is edited / supplied by GLP Assessor at http://glpassessor.blogspot.com.

$1.5M Green Loans Program Compensation Claim

2010-07-23T12:36:00.004+10:00

A new Compensation Claim of $1.5 million is being prepared against the Federal Government's Green Loans Program, after the release of three damming reports into the programs failed administration.

Green Loans Assessors Action Group (GLAAG) is currently seeking compensation for those Home Sustainability Assessors disaffected by the federal government's Green Loans Program.

Further information on claims for both non-contracted & contracted assessors can be found on Aaron Nielsin's blog. Show your support by visiting Aaron's blog where you can further link to Google Groups and downloadable claim forms.

Information is edited / supplied by GLP Assessor at http://glpassessor.blogspot.com.

Green Loans Program Audit Review Reports

2010-07-08T17:49:00.008+10:00

The Minister for Climate Change, Energy Efficiency, and Water, Senator Penny Wong has today released three separate reports into the Government’s Green Loans program. The Minister also announced that the Green Loans program would transition into a new Green Start program.

The reports released are:

Independent Inquiry into the Green Loans Program – Review of procurement processes and contractual arrangements by Ms Patricia Faulkner AO.

Internal Audit Review of the Procurement Practices in the Green Loans Program produced by Protiviti.

Review of the Green Loans Program produced by Resolution Consulting Services.

The Department of Climate Change and Energy Efficiency has also released its response to both the Faulkner Inquiry into Green Loans and the Hawke Review into the Home Insulation Program.

The Department of the Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) has also provided a response to the Faulkner and Hawke reports.

The reviews can be found on the department's website here.

Information is edited / supplied by GLP Assessor at http://glpassessor.blogspot.com.

ABSA / Green Loans Assessors Testimony Green Loans Senate Inquiry

2010-07-01T11:56:00.004+10:00

ABSA & Green Loans Assessors give testimony at the Green Loans Senate Inquiry on the 29th June 2010.

This blog post is a copy of a recent ABSA newsletter and is supplied for information purposes only.

The Green Loans Program was a great initiative which was damaged by hasty implementation, short cuts, ill-defined roles and ad hoc changes, the Association of Building Sustainability Assessors (ABSA) told a Senate committee on Tuesday 29thJune.

ABSA Chairman, Wayne Floyd, told the Senate Environment, Communications and The Arts References Committee, sitting in Sydney, that ABSA signed a protocol with the Department of Environment, Water, Heritage and the Arts (DEWHA) in February 2009 to provide services as an Assessor Accrediting Organisation.

However, problems soon arose because of ad hoc changes to the scheme and because DEWHA had failed to meet its commitments to appoint an auditor, manage numbers, provide Continuing Professional Development and ensure the training course for assessors was properly accredited.

In February 2010, the then Minister responsible, Peter Garrett, announced a cap of 5,000 assessors after numbers blew out. The Minister now responsible, Climate Change Minister, Penny Wong, is yet to announce how the cap will be implemented.

Also presenting evidence were a number of contracted and uncontracted assessors, representatives from The Australian Bankers Association (ABA), Abacus Mutual (representing credit unions and building societies), Fieldforce Services and senior representatives from the Department.

A transcript of the hearing can be read by following this link. It should be noted that this is the preliminary version and may change in line with standard Parliamentary Hansard procedures.

Information is edited / supplied by GLP Assessor at http://glpassessor.blogspot.com.

Is Peter Garrett Heading For The Lock Up For Getting It Wong?

2010-04-24T12:06:00.004+10:00

Quoted from the Australian on the 24th April is this.

Senator Wong warned that anyone who had rorted the Green Loans scheme would be referred to the Australian Federal Police.

"Non-compliance and fraudulent activity will not be tolerated under the Green Loans program," Senator Wong said.

Personally I would like to see Peter Garrett heading towards the lock-up for rorting, by constant mismanagement and bad design, not once, not twice, but constantly.

And that legal agreement which Penny Wong relates to, is it the agreement that day after day, month after month her same department ignores. Paying assessors late, month after month!

Turn around Penny and get your own house in order!

When assessors are constantly pushed onto 'Struggle Street', one would have to ask whether that situation is enough to encourage rorting!

I mean 'Hello ALP', just place more bums on seats and pay everyone on time! Your constant non-compliance and fraudulent activity is really starting to SUCK BIG TIME for all assessors!

It is getting to a point where your Green Initatives are costing more to fix than operate. Why?

Bad design : No management.

Private enterprise gets it right! What is wrong with your departments? To much reliance on Risk Assessment? Audit from day 1 : Not when the systems broken!!

Information is edited / supplied by GLP Assessor at http://glpassessor.blogspot.com.

ABSA's Submission To The Green Loans Senate Inquiry

2010-04-20T20:51:00.005+10:00

ABSA has made a submission to the Senate Inquiry on the Green Loans scheme.

Members will be interested to read what they had to say. Click here for the pdf download. [Note this file is larger than 5MB].

Leave your comments on this post about ABSA's submission.

Information is edited / supplied by GLP Assessor at http://glpassessor.blogspot.com.

Senate Committe Into Green Loans Program

2010-04-17T19:45:00.004+10:00

The Senate Committee Inquiry into the Green Loans Program debacle should be well under way by now, we would hope!

For a shocking insight into what mistakes the Rudd Government has made, what level of distress and financial costs this has caused a group of Green Career Professionals, take a look at the submissions to the inquiry here.

Shame of you ALP for failing time and time again!

Information is edited / supplied by GLP Assessor at http://glpassessor.blogspot.com.

Google Blogs Green Loans Program

2010-04-07T20:31:00.003+10:00

Visit this link to see what Google Blogs has found on the Green Loan Program. Listing articles and press releases that may go un-noticed.

Information is edited / supplied by GLP Assessor at http://glpassessor.blogspot.com.

150 Assessors See Green Dream Turn Brown

2010-04-07T19:59:00.004+10:00

Read more about the fall of GLACO, from Senator Milne's Press Release of 7th April here.

This Government is sure doing a 'hell of a good job', in turning Aussie's OFF ever wanting to get involved in a Government Managed Green Career.

Information is edited / supplied by GLP Assessor at http://glpassessor.blogspot.com.

All Quiet On The Home Sustainability Assessor Front?

2010-04-06T16:04:00.003+10:00

I Don't Think So!

As assessors we know there is a lot happening behind the scenes...

So Why So Quiet On This Blog?

Well when assessors use Google's system to spill the beans, containing other's private details, and then GLP Assessor is threatened with being sued by another, you have to ask yourself is this system you created for all assessors to benefit from:

Worth the time.
The risk.
The whatever?

At this moment in time I would have to question whether it is worthwhile spending more time in helping others, when at the end of the day the situation comes around and bites my tail!

All information is edited / supplied by GLP Assessor at http://glpassessor.blogspot.com.

Assessors Not Being Paid Within Thirty Days

2010-03-28T14:41:00.008+11:00

Green Loans Assessors Face Financial Charges Due To LATE PAYMENT!

Are You One Of The Assessors Having Issues In Being Paid On Time?

GLPAssesor is!

After various phones call to the GLP Helpline 1300 773 451, with further emails to the new invoicing query email address. The outcome is that invoices have not been paid well within the 30 days, as stipulated in the legal contract.

Now in four days when I am charged the extra additional fees for not clearing the credit card on time, and the additional interest! Yes Prime Minister & Senator Penny Wong, I will be seeking these extra charges from the department on my next invoice, or in court!

Are You An Assessor With The Same Problem Of Late Green Loan Assessment Payment?

If you are outside of the 30 days with your invoices being paid, leave your story here as a comment. It would seem yet again we have another Government department [DCCEE] that does not live up to it's legal contract.

And most likely goes home at 5.00, instead of clearing the backlog which no doubt will be used as an excuse, for late payment. Not good enough!

Yet again this Government cannot get the basics of business correct. Issue's that in if the private sector would mean head's rolling!

Small Businesses go broke due to the Governments inability to stick to a legal contract! Pay within 30 days! Read more from this group of unhappy assessors.

Information is edited / supplied by GLP Assessor at http://glpassessor.blogspot.com.

ABSA Assessor News Updates

2010-03-28T14:33:00.003+11:00

Are you looking for ABSA related News & Updates? Visit ABSA's website for the latest news and current information, with reference to the Green Loan Program.

Information is edited / supplied by GLP Assessor at http://glpassessor.blogspot.com.

Important Message : Information Containing Private Personal / Business Details

2010-03-26T19:59:00.007+11:00

As from 25th March at 7.00pm, the automatic system created by Google's blogger platform, where information posted to this blog live via an email address went live, has been STOPPED by GLPAssessor.

From now on ALL DATA forwarded via the 'email posting address' will be held as a draft copy until it is checked by GLPAssessor to see if it contains personal & business details such as email address, telephone numbers and other private information.

If it does, assessors are asked to follow the information with an email to GLPAssessor. This email should include proof that the personal / business details have been Ok'd by the owner of the said details, giving permission for them to be made public. Where the sender of the information has their private / business information stated in the content, it must state for 'public use' in the content.

This change has occurred due to personal details ending up in the public arena via this blog site. This was not intended to happen by the assessor concerned and was done by pure accident.

On being notified by the owner of these details, the information was removed from this blog by GLPAssessor within 12 hours of notification. Links that were active to this information were also deleted at this time. Google has already updated some of it's index to show this and further spidering by Google will remove any trace of the information. The index was searched at the same time and showed that the links were in fact null & void.

This blog was created one afternoon whilst waiting for the GLP Call centre to answer. A blog designed for assessors, to use as a platform to have their say. For assessors who seemed to have so much passion, but found to be stuck behind a forum firewall.

As GLPAssessor never intended to be tied to the desk of this blog, that was why Google's automatic posting seemed like an excellent idea and tool to use. Where assessors could simply 'have their say' in the real world! At the time of blog creation GLPAssessor assumed content would have been cleared for posting! In retrospect maybe one could say, it would be only a matter of time before information posted may contain private information.

As no body likes the idea of personal details being posted in unfamiliar places, GLPAssessor wishes to apologise to the party concerned, who's details were incorrectly posted automatically by an assessor to the public arena via this Green Loan Assessors blog.

GLPAssessor has contacted the assessors whom posted the information informing / confirming with them the information has been removed due to a breach of privacy.

Remember it is the assessors posting the information who are responsible for checking the content of the 'posting', and not GLPAssessor. As said already mentioned GLPAssessor will only allow information to be posted, once confirmation is received.

ALL information from now on will be strictly checked for any infringement of privacy.

Once again this error happened by accident, and Google's system has been adjusted to allow it not to happen again.

This error has happened during a turbulent time in the life of many assessors, which should not have occurred, where passions and stress are high, assessors tested to their limits due to the injustice of this debacle.

Details on How To Post To This Blog have been updated with this updated information.

GLPAssessor will periodically [3-4 days] check the 'draft copies' and if no further information has been received regarding the data it will be deleted.

Information is edited / supplied by GLP Assessor at http://glpassessor.blogspot.com.