http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/states-schools-blowout-exposed/story-fn59niix-1225901860057

Victoria confirms the sorry BER tale

But the government's refrain that the Building the Education Revolution is a success was erased yesterday by the release of the price paid by the Victorian government to build a school hall.

Like NSW, Victoria is paying twice as much as the Catholic school system and well above standard industry costs.

Of necessity, The Australian's series of reports documenting concerns about the BER has focused on NSW; until yesterday, it was the only state to have made public its building costs.

The federal government has dismissed reports of inflated costs as being confined to NSW but the story is similar in Victoria and, presumably, around the nation. The onus is now on the other states and territories to reveal the figures.

At which point does Julia Gillard stop pretending to be able to manage the economy.

This incompetent could not manage a Booze in a Brewery.

SM

Damn Conservative Capitalists strike again? Thieving, God bothering hypocrites one and all.
It's all in the way you look at it.
Your reasoning is usury, exploitive leaving all the blame on one party. common sense dictates that no crimes were committed and the intent to defraud was that of the builders (commercial capitalists).
Reasonably one side can't shoulder all the blame.
And of course your lot's record is absolutely unimpeachable...I don't think.
Mind you the RSPCA will be after you ...flogging a dead horse.

Couldn't have said that any better myself Examinator

I doubt very much whether the rorts are at all political.

The departments that implement these policies don't change when their political masters change.

They are exactly the same witheringly incompetent bunch of time-serving wallies, who couldn't clean the teaspoons without having twelve meetings..

In NSW, I heard, they (the department, not the pollie) awarded the head contract to a single firm of architects, who were i) snowed under as a result, and couldn't keep a proper eye on what was going on and ii) made a massive killing with their percentage of the contracts that were let.

I'd be interested if anyone knows the full story and can put me right, or alternatively can corroborate its detail.

It is a source of constant pain, when you calculate how many hours we work to keep them in their sheltered-workshop unsackability, their mountain of tax-free perks, and minuscule working hours.

Public service reform is long, long overdue, as is ministerial accountability.

Examinator,

These articles are from today. The horse is still alive and kicking.

Perhaps you could nominate who else should shoulder the blame for the wasted BER billions?

I never claimed criminal action on behalf of JG only stupendous incompetence.

The only time value for money was achieved, is when the money was given directly to the independent schools to manage.

S,M. you really are repetitive on this as are a few others that have pre determined that no matter what, you will sink the ship. Yes the BER program has proved expensive and in NSW somewhat problematic due to a State government that you only have to live in NSW to know why.
The BER program due to it's scale has shown the real government waste that has always existed. The rates of failure and ripoff are either normal or marginally higher which really should be ringing much bigger alarm bells than the bias one eyed ones you are pushing.
In the end the BER is a success. it has built school infrastructure that was ignored for 12 years because a surplus was more important than school standards, hospitals, law and order, telecommunications and on and on the list goes. The BER was a success because it forced large amounts of cash into the economy within a defined time period saving lot's of jobs. Remember stimulas, everyone voted for it in the house and senate, it was our saviour now we blame everyone else for the debt we were left with. Thats the reality of a greed based system, good on the "ME" generation