The Greens are today calling on the new Minister responsible for Green Loans, Minister Wong, to immediately clarify whether or not it is already too late for Australian householders to get a Green Loan.
With a huge number of householders still awaiting the paperwork needed to secure a loan, lending institutions across the country have already stopped processing loans, well ahead of the public March 22 deadline for loans to end.
"I've received a flood of calls and emails from both householders and assessors deeply troubled and frustrated by the confusion surrounding the remnants of the Green Loans debacle," Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, said.
"Thousands of householders keen for loans to green up their homes are still waiting for the department to get their act together with the paperwork needed to secure the loan.
"This frustration is heightened and compounded by the fact that the only access to the department is through the government's 1300 number, which is constantly busy - the same number the assessors have always complained is unworkable.
"Far from a lack of demand for loans, as the previous Minister claimed when he scrapped that part of the scheme, it is the department's failure to get paperwork processed that has cruelled the hopes of thousands of householders and possibly cost many people deposits on solar water heaters and other expensive items.
"Home assessors are now the meat in the sandwich, facing anger from householders blaming them for the department's failure to produce reports and their consequent inability to get a loan.
"Minister Wong must indicate how many home assessment reports are outstanding and by what date the government intends to have them all processed so that those householders who want green loans can try to secure one.
"In the meantime, the major banks and many smaller institutions have already stopped lending, well ahead of the government's public March 22 deadline for loans to end.
"The Minister needs to clarify what contractual arrangements were in place with lending institutions - were they obliged to keep lending while the program was in place, up to the March 22 deadline? If so, what is the government going to do to hold them to it?
"The nightmare for assessors is compounded by the fact that many still cannot get work and are still awaiting pay for work they have done over many months.
"The Green Loans Scheme was such an excellent idea, but now Minister Wong has inherited an utter debacle thanks to the gross mismanagement by Peter Garrett's department.
"Whilst I sympathise with Minister Wong's challenge of sorting this mess out in a reasonable time-frame, these priority issues must be dealt with swiftly so householders and assessors can move on with some degree of certainty."