After Labor powerbrokers and union leaders determined that they no longer supported Kevin Rudd, Australia has a new Prime Minister.
Julia will attempt to put distance between herself and Kevin Rudd, but she has been at the centre of every decision of this government – from the ETS to home insulation. As has her new Deputy Prime Minister, Wayne Swan.
While Kevin Rudd has been destroying Australia’s reputation as a safe haven for foreign investment, Julia Gillard has been destroying Australia’s reputation for good governance and fiscal prudence.
Reports of extraordinary waste are continually associated with the Building the Education Revolution Program. They are increasing every day.
One contractor who overcharged schools by $550,000 each for 10 libraries is set to receive bonus payments worth $1 million.
And this is just the tip of the iceberg.
The Commonwealth Auditor-General does not have the power to investigate waste and mismanagement or value for money of the program. Many individual cases of rorts and overcharging will never be independently investigated.
This is an unprecedented level of government waste and incompetence. Who couldn’t think of a better way to spend $16 billion on our education system? But you will be happy to know, the bureaucrats who ran this show got awards for it too.
And BER is not the only disastrous program that Gillard has run. Labor’s election promise to put computers in schools has turned into a disaster with its own $1.2 billion blowout.
At present, only 28.33% of computers promised to Victoria are operational, in Western Australia the same figure is 22.56%, in Queensland its 23.23, and only 15.12% in South Australia.
Julia Gillard has only managed to deliver 1 of the promised 2650 Trades Training Centres for the start of the 2010 school year, and only 38 of the 260 promised Child Care Centres.
And we cannot forget her 2004 election policy, Medicare Gold, which just happened to have a $5 billion hole in it.
Julia Gillard cannot run away from her role as Deputy Prime Minister to Kevin Rudd.
All the Labor factional bosses have done is change the leader, not the policies. As they are inevitably rewarded, we will continue to remind people that it is Labor policies that pose a risk to Australia’s economic future, not just the chief salesperson.