Labor’s broken school computers promise disappoints Wide Bay students
27th May, 2010
The Rudd Labor Government has delivered only 1,468 computers out of its promised 5,591 for Wide Bay students in years 9 to 12, Federal Member for Wide Bay Warren Truss said today.In an answer to a Question on Notice in Federal Parliament, the Government has admitted that it has only delivered a quarter of the computers it promised at the last election.
“The computers in schools program has already suffered a $1.2 billion cost blow out, and with only one year to go it is impossible to see how the Government will deliver the full national quota of 787,533 computers. Only 257,623 computers have so far been distributed nationally,” Mr Truss said.
“Parents and students in Wide Bay are right to feel disappointed and betrayed by yet another broken promise from Labor.”
Mr Truss said school communities had expressed their concerns about the computers in schools program right from the start.
“Firstly, Labor reneged on the promise to provide a computer for every student and instead said a computer would be supplied only for every two students. Then Labor failed to take into account the costs to schools of installing and maintaining the computers, resulting in massive cost blow outs. Now, Labor has confirmed that only 25% of its promised computers for Wide Bay have actually been delivered.”
Mr Truss called on Julia Gillard to apologise for the broken promises and waste that she has presided over as Minister for Education.
• Breaking the promise to build 260 childcare centres across Australia and ‘end the double drop-off’. Now only 38 childcare centres will be built.
• Breaking the promise to build Trades Training Centres in all 2,650 high schools in Australia. Now only one school in ten will get a centre that will have to be time-shared but only 12 have so far been built.
• Lost billions of taxpayer dollars in overpriced school halls due to widely reported rorting, price gouging, waste and mismanagement.
“The Rudd Government has let the Australian people down with Labor’s broken promises.
“With Labor’s track record on broken promises, waste and mismanagement, Kevin Rudd can not be trusted with another three years in Government.”
