New Minister has three days to suspend BER
29 Jun 2010
Media release "New federal Education Minister, Simon Crean, has three days left to do what Julia Gillard refused to, and stop the school hall rip-off waste by suspending the $5.5 billion in unspent funds," Christopher Pyne, Shadow Minister for Education said today.
"With the Government's own investigation into waste not due to report until August, it is impossible for a Minister, especially a new Minister, to have confidence that not one dollar of the remaining $5.5 billion will be wasted," Mr Pyne said.
The question for Mr Crean is: Are you 100 percent confident that not one dollar of the $2.1 billion due to go out the door this Thursday will be wasted?
If the answer is no, then as a Minister responsible for the good administration of taxpayer dollars, the program must be suspended.
In comments this morning Mr Crean appears to be out of his depth, not wanting to 'sell the program down the river' and expressing a desire to 'get to the bottom of what happened.'
It's like Mr Crean is standing waist deep in water on the sinking Titanic assuring passengers everything is fine and offering them a return voyage.
I'd be pleased to update the Minister, to allow him to get to the bottom of what has happened: This Labor Government has turned a blind eye while rorting, price gouging, collusion, waste and mismanagement has led to the biggest rip off of the Australian taxpayer in the history of Australia.
In three days time another $2.1 billion of the remaining $5.5 billion will be allocated, and if the Minister can't guarantee that not one dollar will be wasted, then he must suspend the spend.
"As first order of business a Coalition Government will halt the spending and launch a full judicial inquiry into the school hall program," Mr Pyne said.
June 29, 2010
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Adam Howard
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