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Funding for Schools in Farrer not value for money

15-March-2010

Federal Member for Farrer, Sussan Ley today raised in Parliament the wasteful nature of the Building Education Revolution capital funding for 2 schools in Farrer.

Community representatives from Pleasant Hills and Henty have drawn to Ms Ley’s attention, their frustration that funds which were to benefit the children at public schools in those towns by improving facilities are been purged by the cost of incentive fees, site management and design documentation costs.

“This of course means that the children are not the beneficiaries of funds which should be building first-class facilities but instead funding of simple things like awnings, paths, soft fall in playgrounds and partitioning are instead going to bureaucrats and multi-million dollar construction companies for fees to manage these very simple projects” Ms Ley said

“At Pleasant Hills Public School the P & C were advised that funding had been approved for $250,000.  They have subsequently been advise that of that $250,000 site management fees (including design documentation & field data) will cost $77,787; the managing contractor will get an incentive’ fee of $1964 and project management will cost $7560, that is about 37% of the total funding allocation”.

“The taxpayers’ in these towns quite rightly believe this is an outrageous waste of their money and have asked me to raise this with the Government”.

“These are just two instances of the wasteful nature of this program.  It is not value for money and the Rudd Labor government must be held accountable.  There is no long-term economic stimulus to this community from this funding; but rather a very sour taste that their funds are being wasted and their children are not getting the quality facilities that they deserve.” Ms Ley said.

10 March 2010