There will be compensation for the four young men killed during the failed home insulation program enacted by the Rudd Government.

It has taken a review for Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet (April 2010), a Senate environment, communications and the arts committee investigation (July 2010); a report from the Auditor-General (October 2010-11); and now a Royal Commission, but the families of the four men will now receive greater level of recognition and compensation for the deaths of their children as a result of a poorly planned and executed Federal Government scheme.

“Nothing can bring them back,” Prime Minister Tony Abbott said of Matthew Fuller (25), Rueben Barnes (16), Marcus Wilson (19) and Mitchell Sweeney (22), who died between October 2009 and February 2010.

“[The] families should know that government won't walk away, that government accepts responsibility and will do its best to make amends,” Mr Abbott’s statement to parliament read.

“That's why Minister [Greg] Hunt and the Minister for Finance [Mathias Cormann] have been asked to recommend options to compensate their next of kin.”

There has been no more on the amounts or timeline for compensation.

The Home Insulation Industry Action Group says it has happily received word that businesses forced to close or which lost large amounts of money when the scheme was scrapped will be able to get some help too.

The Group says it will be glad if the Royal Commission’s findings result in an improved image for the insulation, to help it move away from a tarnished picture of a sector full of “shonks”.

The Federal Government will make a series of moves in response.

The Prime Minister will discuss the dangers of working in roof cavities with government leaders at the next COAG meeting, and some revision to OHS laws are expected too.

Labor says it would support a move to improve workplace safety, but maintains that the multi-million dollar Royal Commission has revealed nothing new and was an unnecessary expense.

The Government says it is examining findings over occupation health and safety laws, and will appoint an independent figure to see what lessons can be learned for future departmental or public sector efforts.