Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie says Mitchell Sweeney's death while insulating homes could have been prevented Wendy Sweeney with a photograph of her son Mitchell, who was killed while working in the ceiling of a home in 2010. AS the home insulation death toll continued to climb in 2009 and 2010, state and federal Labor ranks were locked in a tit-for-tat battle of letters, with both claiming the other was not doing enough to fix the debacle. Queensland Attorney-General Jarrod Bleijie said the death of the third young man, 22-year-old Mitchell Sweeney, could have been prevented had former Bligh government minister Cameron Dick and then-federal environment minister Peter Garrett stopped "buck-passing" through a series of letters beginning in October 2009. "While three boys died, governments couldn't work out who was going to implement safety measures," he said. State coroner Michael Barnes last week found the bungled home insulation scheme was rushed and that any dangers should have been "foreseen and mitigated." Prime Minister Kevin Rudd apologised for the program. Rueben Barnes, 16, Matthew James Fuller, 25, and Mr Sweeney were killed while working in Queensland as part of the doomed scheme, launched in 2009. Mr Fuller was electrocuted in October 2009, Mr Barnes in November that year and Mr Sweeney in February 2010. During that same period of time, letters, used as evidence in the coronial inquest, were exchanged between Mr Dick and Mr Garrett, with both sides urging the other to step in and take action. "The buck-passing between the two (levels of government) had to stop," Mr Bleijie said. That should have stopped. Someone should have taken responsibility for it and just got on with the job, or shut the program down earlier, and then we possibly could have prevented, particularly, the third young man's death. The first letter from Mr Garrett to Mr Dick, dated October 28, 2009, asked the former Bligh government to consider setting up a coronial inquest to "ensure that the full circumstances of the incident (were) investigated." On November 20, Mr Dick wrote to Mr Garrett demanding "urgent action" and expressed concern about training requirements for subcontractors, who he believed could have been "employing untrained workers, exposing them to unacceptable risks." "It is clear from Queensland's experience that your Department needs to strengthen prequalification requirements and mandate safety training requirements for installers registered with the program," he wrote. Such action should be taken immediately. On February 18, 2010, he again wrote to the Federal Government insisting that the Queensland Electrical Safety Office had formed the view that "more (could) be done to protect workers and householders from the potential dangers that foil insulation poses." In a letter from Mr Garrett to Mr Dick, dated February 26, he wrote that a "clear and consistent regulatory framework is required to address both the existing safety concerns and any future installations," adding that "Queensland is best placed to lead in this area." "I request your urgent assistance to resolve this matter," he wrote. On March 5, Mr Dick wrote to then-minister assisting the minister for climate change, Greg Combet, arguing the Federal Government needed to take the lead. "Minister Garrett suggested that Queensland is best placed to lead the development of a clear and consistent regulatory framework," he said. While Queensland stands ready to assist, my view is that the Commonwealth Government needs to lead in relation to legacy issues arising out of the old Home Insulation Program, as well as all aspects of the new scheme. Yesterday, Mr Dick said he stood by the comments he made in the letters, which he also used to detail the steps the state had taken at the time to minimise future risk. "At the time, I made it clear to departmental officers that they should take all necessary steps to ensure Queenslanders were protected and in particular that the laws protecting workers were enforced," he said. Mr Garrett could not be reached for comment.