Green Loans Assessor Co-Operative Ceases Trading

The Federal Government’s ‘Green Loans’ program has been heavily criticized in recent months, with many assessors facing an uncertain wait. The Government has made significant changes to the program which limits the number of assessments allowed per assessor. These changes were made to help ensure the longevity of the program; however, this has impacted on the earning potential of all home assessors. A Victorian based booking agent has recently ceased to trade claiming that the program changes have destroyed their business model.

The Green Loan Assessors Co- operative (GLACO) were providing leads to co-op members, charging a fee of $47.50 out of the $200 per assessment. While GLACO have been receiving the necessary funding from the Government to pay the assessors, recent reports suggest that the co-op will not be able to pay for the assessments completed in February. There are around 150 members of the co-op, many of whom will be affected by this collapse. Recent complaints suggest that around 40 assessors are owed between $200- $21,000 by the co-op.

Liberal and Greens politicians have been highly critical of the Government’s handling of the scheme, suggesting it has been a debacle from the get go. Greens senator Christine Milne has highlighted that the uncertainty of the scheme has left many working families on the verge of financial ruin. The question remains; who now pays for the work that has already been done? Senator Milne asserts that the Government must step in and assist the assessors while she has also pushed for an inquiry into the collapse of GLACO. Minister Penny Wong stated that the Government was currently receiving legal advice as to how best support the assessors through this difficult time. A program designed to help Australian households go green has, according to Senator Milne, created a situation where the Government must step in to prevent the effected families from going broke.         

Reference:
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news/nation/green-loans-assessors-not-paid-by-rudd-government/story-e6frg6nf-1225851123996

http://greensmps.org.au/content/media-release/glaco-goes-under-what-government-doing-green-loan-assessors