The Greens today welcomed progress towards fixing the Green Loans scheme.

The Auditor General has written to Australian Greens Deputy Leader, Senator Christine Milne, outlining the performance audit he will undertake into the mismanagement of the scheme, following Senator Milne's referral of the issues to him.

In addition, Minister Wong has agreed to meet a delegation of home sustainability assessors coordinated by Senator Milne.

"The Green Loans Scheme was an excellent idea and its mismanagement should not be allowed to undermine the vital work to make Australia's homes more energy efficient," Senator Milne said.

"I'm very pleased that the Auditor General will be looking at the critical questions of what went wrong with this scheme. This process should help avoid similar debacles in the future.

"The mismanagement of the Green Loans Scheme has left a trail of disappointed and devastated householders and small business owners across the country.

"People have not been paid, paperwork has not been received, businesses that were encouraged to start up are now being tossed on the scrap heap.

"I'm also particularly pleased to have been able to help a delegation of assessors from around Australia secure a meeting with Minister Wong to raise their proposed solutions with her directly.

"If we can reach a positive conclusion from this process, it will be tremendously positive for Australian householders, many small businesses and the planet as a whole."

The letter from the Auditor General is available on request (or attached to email).

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Auditor General Green Loans inquiry 2.pdf	17/03/10 11:33 am	164.58 KB