Billions to go in BER spend

Treasurer Wayne Swan is dangerously misinformed about the progress of the school hall rip-off and as a consequence he is misinforming the Australian people.

In comments yesterday, Mr Swan said that 99 per cent of BER projects had been 'committed or completed'.

"Mr Swan was intimating that the program was on schedule and the stimulus effects were waning," said Christopher Pyne, Shadow Minister for Education.

"Under examination at Senate Estimates just three weeks ago, Education department officials revealed that 40 per cent of BER funding had yet to be spent, or a whopping $6.4 billion," Mr Pyne said.

"They also confirmed that only 30 per cent or 3,114, out of 10,697 projects had been completed nationally and the program was in some cases years behind schedule," he said.

The Labor Victorian Treasurer, John Lenders, belled the cat on this with comments in the media today that the need for stimulus had long expired. In Victoria, only 20 per cent of projects are completed and 60 per cent of the stimulus funding remains unspent.

Mr Lenders agrees that the BER stimulus is far from finished, but Mr Swan thinks the program is practically done and dusted.

Treasurer Swan is in a BER bubble, seemingly unaware that this program is behind schedule, and ignoring the effects it will have on the economy in the years to come.

"Labor can pretend that there is no need to find savings to keep inflation under control, but it will be the Australian people who will pay the price as interest rates and cost of living continue to skyrocket," Mr Pyne said.

November 10, 2010

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