Imagine you were the principal of a school in NSW. Now maintainance of school buildings has fallen behind and 2 momths before an election you are told by your department that $150,000 was suddenly available for much needed library block improvements.
You get your quotes, and happily tell the P&C. You tell everyone.
Your quote is forwarded to the Commerce Dept. who add a cool $100,000 onto the price for 'management fees' and bill the Education Dept $250,000 for the $150,000 job. This on top of the builders inflated price to cover the 'BS factor' of working to restrictive codes demanded by our government. All up lets say a $120,000 market value job will cost the Education Dept. over twice that amount.
What's (un)Couth-Rotter got to do with this you ask? He was head honcho at Commerce when this little scam was introduced. And now he's top dog in education,promising to fix the backlog in,yep you guessed it, school maintainance, as his priority.
Why is it a scam? It lets our beloved leader 'No Dilemma' mislead us about the real sums spent in education, and allows him to 're-spend' this $100,000 someplace else. Nifty really.
This of course never happened. After the election our principal is told that the funds aint there anymore and he can have $100,000 for school maintainance only.
You can't be too sceptical these days

Scene one:
The school principal sitting at his desk perusing the mornings newspaper,headlined - ‘PM CALLS ELECTION’

Principal-Hmmmm!
This may be an opportunity.
If we pressure a few politicians right now, we may get some extra funding to finish that building program, or, closer to my heart ( his eyes float upwards & he begins to daydream),I could run that class I’ve been wanting to do for ages –transvestitism & its role in western civilization .
[He phones his union rep ]
George I guess you’ve seen the headlines .
Could you call in a few favours with your MP pals -we could use more funding for education …

Union Rep - I’ll see what I can do.
[They hang-up]

[A great noise of boys shouting suddenly explodes in background]

Principal-What’s all that kerfuffle ?

[He goes into the school yard where a large group of boys are gathered]

Scene Two:
The school playground

Principal -What on earth is going on here?
Davy Crockett -Perry & Moribund are beating up on me again.
Perry Cleese -You’re a RABBLE ROUSER, A BIGOT!
ABC Moribund -Yeh you’re a BIG GUT !
Principal - Now, now boys we allow flexibility here
But your comments are beyond the pale.
You’re all suspended for three weeks.

Why can’t you boys behave?
Why cant you be exemplars like Rave Onn here.
[Rave Onn sits smugly near the principal - wearing his prefects badge]

Earwig - But is it sustainable ?

Principal -Boys, while I have you all here there’s another issue.
Our neigbours have complained that some boys have been climbing over their fence into their backyard & raiding their Mango tree.

[ he looks at Fellow Pupil with Mango stains on his shirt]

Principal -Fellow Pupil do you have anything to say?

Fellow Pupil -It wasn’t me who shook the tree.
I’m a moderate, I don’t agree with those methods.
I only picked up the fruit that fell to the ground

Logo [ holding his hands –which clutch a mango- behind his back]
Fellow-pupils right. It was Kelvin Aduhamas who shook the tree
He said it was on stolen land.
And we had a right of returns.

Earwig -But is it sustainable?

Rave Onn- STOLEN -Did someone mention "stolen"?
I know all about it -I've lived it ...

[The principals mobile phone rings]

Union rep -Sorry, no luck.
They tell me the Govts just help fund some 15 Jihadi schools in SE Asia & has no more money left for Aussie schools…

Onya-Jim (overhearing what was said –& speaking off to the side}
What a noble gesture –we have to share the wealth.

Principal -( to the union rep) What about my extra class?
Union Rep - All I can suggest is you keep squeezing your local member.

Earwig -But is it sustainable