Can she be trusted? Pay science and language lab

Julia Gillard must prove she can be trusted by suspending the science and language lab stimulus spending and redirecting the funds to schools, Christopher Pyne, Shadow Minister for Education said today.

"Ms Gillard's comments yesterday that she would do the school stimulus differently and has learnt from her mistakes needs to be followed up with immediate action, otherwise Australians can't trust her anymore than Kevin Rudd can," Mr Pyne said.

"Money is still being wasted; schools are still being ripped off. Ms Gillard sounds contrite but she must act to stop the waste or have no credibility," he said.

The remaining funds in other elements of the school stimulus must also still be paid directly to schools to stop the waste and mismanagement. Since Ms Gillard has essentially conceded that she no longer trusts the states to manage building programs, she is obligated to act.

It was only two weeks ago Ms Gillard had the chance to stop the waste in the School Hall program by redirecting remaining funds directly to schools. Instead of stopping the waste the new Education Minister Simon Crean took up Ms Gillard's refrain that this is an unnecessary step, and problems are isolated.

Now, in what appears to be a transparently desperate attempt to inoculate against negatives prior to the election campaign, Ms Gillard admits mistakes, and claims she has learnt a lesson? Well this lesson might have cost the Australian taxpayer as much as $8 billion.

Australians are tired and disappointed by a Government and Prime Minister who will do and say anything to cling to power.

"Only a Coalition Government will get to the bottom of the school hall rip-off, and stop the waste,"Mr Pyne said.

July 16, 2010

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