Now you see it, now you don't
by AAWR Friday March 19, 2004 at 11:14 PM

$31.3 billion isn't chicken feed in anybodies world. Even Bill Gates' ears would prick up at the mention of such a tidy sum.

When the Prime Minister (yes I'm afraid it's a John Howard week this week) and the Federal Education Minister Brendan Nelson announced that the Federal government would spend $31.8 billion on State, private and Catholic school education over the next 4 years, I was impressed (only kidding).

Within one hour of the package being released, doubts began to grow in people's minds about the government's announcement. It seems the fanfare accompanying their media conference had a sound of deja vu about it. Core and non-core man has done it again, lies, lies and more lies. It looked like the Treasurer had released the same figures during the last May budget. According to the last budget papers, Federal government funding would hit $30.9 billion over the next 4 years.

Oops, that only leaves $400 million of new spending on education initiatives. Oops, I forgot that a week or two ago, the Prime Minister flanked by Rome's man down under Cardinal Pell, promised Catholic schools an extra $362 million. That leaves $38 million, just enough to fund the Federal government's propaganda package about its much vaunted expenditure on education.

Sad isn't it when the Prime Minister and a senior Cabinet minister are willing to lie through their teeth, to help their little mate Tony Abbott weather the scrutiny that the Federal government's Medicare Plus package was receiving. Why else would they have bothered to launch their education blitzkrieg 24 hours after the release of the Medicare Plus package?

Just in case you think the Federal government's education package is directed at government schools, think again. The Commonwealth government allocates $1,000 for each State school pupil and $4,500 for each private school pupil. When core and no-core man tells Australians that government and private schools receive the same amount of money, he neglects to tell people that 70% of students attend State schools and 30% private schools. Just in case you still think the education package has anything to offer State school pupils, State schools will receive an increase in Commonwealth expenditure of about 19% over the next 4 years, while some elite private schools will receive increases of between 150% to 300%.

I could go on and on, but unfortunately I haven't got 20 years to catalogue the Prime Minister's lies.

home.vicnet.net.au/~anarch/weekly.html

add your comments