31 May 2012

High priced school canteens reducing kids to eating garlic bread?

31 May 2012 | Myles Peterson

An anonymous emailer has informed CanberraLeaks that prices at the school canteens at some Canberra public-schools have risen to such ridiculous levels, many children can only afford to buy the very basics. Apparently garlic bread is a popular staple.

Minister Andrew Barr this morning addressed the issue via twitter, as did Minister Joy Burch:

@ABarrMLA: @MylesPeterson Canteens run by volunteers. Minister Bourke is working with the p&c on the issue: http://www.actparents.org.au/2012/05/meeting-with-etd-help-for-canteens/

@JoyBurchMLA: @MylesPeterson @reijin64 @ABarrMLA canteens are for schools not for profits. happy to talk with Ed minister

What are rioters experiences? Are you a member of a P & C with views on the issue or a student affected by the pricing? Are you a teacher or education bureaucrat with background knowledge?

Background

Hi Rioters

Over the next few months we’re going to try and do our bit for the ACT community by bringing issues of waste and corruption to attention. For now we’ll be using Hushmail to source leads, but moving forward myself and a small team of interested people would like to turn CanberraLeaks into a regular and reliable local watchdog.

If you would like an issue investigated or have information or evidence of waste and/or corruption, please email canberraleaks@hushmail.com. Please supply as little identifying information as possible, we’re not interested in who you are, just what you want to bring to light.

We are also not interested in the activities of individuals.. This isn’t about bringing down tall-poppies, it’s about cleaning up our town.

Cheers

Myles Peterson for CanberraLeaks

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POK8:41 pm 01 Jun 12

If not for use with externally purchased cup-a-noodles, why did the canteen sell cup-of-boiling water?

DrKoresh1:11 pm 01 Jun 12

When I was in high school not too long ago, 4-5 years maybe? I used to bring my own 2 minute noodles and then buy a cup of boiled water from the canteen. I thought we had a good little system going but they stopped letting me do it when they realised I wasn’t buying their cuppanoodles. >:( Pricks.

And at college the prices were a lot higher, but by that stage, dealing with 17-18 year olds it’s fair enough to expect them to sort out their own lunches.

beejay7610:06 am 01 Jun 12

Icepoet said :

Ok, I’ll admit it. I couldn’t resist a stickybeak at what kids are being offered at the school canteen these days.

Bottom left on the 1st page of the Canberra High Menu – ‘Garlic Bread $1’

So don’t fret – it is there. The kids won’t starve.

Kids at Harrison School have it easier. Only $0.50 for garlic bread!

http://www.harrison.act.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0016/201751/Canteen_menu_Winter_Terms_2_and_3.pdf

MsCheeky10:05 am 01 Jun 12

I had a look at some of these menus, and health food it ain’t, mostly. One of them is offering pasta carbonara. Honestly, it’s the most fat and salt laden pasta you can have. How about a pasta with a tomato based sauce instead? I’d suggest there would be no difference in time or cost to produce and would be so much better. I thought the prices seemed ok and the menus are there to appeal to the teens, such as chicken burgers. If my kid wasn’t 26 years old and living in Shanghai, I’d have no problem with a canteen lunch as a once a week option, which is the regime we had in the dim dark days of his adolescence.

As for the headline, kids being ‘reduced to eating garlic bread’, I reckon about 90% of them would love to eat garlic bread and would be blowing off the fruit to do so. Johnboy, if that was you just being provocative, it worked for me. 🙂 Oh, the inhumanity of kids being forced so low…

dtc9:52 am 01 Jun 12

Sandman said :

Those prices look about right to me. Perhaps the problem lies more in the parents who are spending money on smokes and grog , not bothering to provide their kids with decent homemade food and forcing the kids to spend their own pocket money on lunch. Either that or the kids are eating light and pocketing the rest of the money for their own smokes/grog.

You forgot to mention that the parents arent spending their own money, they are spending our taxpayers money given that, naturally, all kids who eat canteen lunches come from homes supported by the dole, or disability, or single parent pensions. Including those at St Eddies

Sandman11:00 pm 31 May 12

Those prices look about right to me. Perhaps the problem lies more in the parents who are spending money on smokes and grog , not bothering to provide their kids with decent homemade food and forcing the kids to spend their own pocket money on lunch. Either that or the kids are eating light and pocketing the rest of the money for their own smokes/grog.

Icepoet9:49 pm 31 May 12

ghughes said :

Things must be tough – Myles can’t even afford google….
Canberra High School
http://www.canberrahs.act.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/194855/Canteen_menu_Feb_2012.pdf

St Edmunds
http://www.stedmunds.act.edu.au/pages/images/Canteen2012.pdf

Kaleen Primary
http://www.kaleenps.act.edu.au/__data/assets/word_doc/0012/198498/canteen_Final_menu_T1_12.docx

Giralang Primary
http://www.giralangps.act.edu.au/__data/assets/pdf_file/0012/200235/2012-Winter_Menu.pdf

But I am still yet to find garlic bread on the menu.

Guess I will have to keep making garlic bread at home.

Ok, I’ll admit it. I couldn’t resist a stickybeak at what kids are being offered at the school canteen these days.

Bottom left on the 1st page of the Canberra High Menu – ‘Garlic Bread $1’

So don’t fret – it is there. The kids won’t starve.

Myles Peterson8:22 pm 31 May 12

Wow this takes me back, I feel like I’m watching an episode of Behind The News.

Yeah, it’s a bit amateur hour at the moment, but everything has to start somewhere. Wanted to get something going quickly rather than just rant at Twitter about the definition of “Judicial Authority.”

I misjudged the RA reaction, was hoping for more input, but when working at The Crimes I was always surprised by what caught fire and what sunk without a trace. You never can tell what will resonate unless you try, which is, of course, directly proportional to what really is an issue.

A few things have been occurring in the background and a full write-up is coming. Much of the evidence so far suggests there is an issue.

Is hunting down canteen prices really worth being associated with an organisation with the word “Leaks” in its name, given that we’re in Canberra; home of the security-clearance-to-tie-your-shoes?

AFP and ASIO are aware of who am I and probably have me filed in the “annoying, but harmless” category. There have been run-ins with the former in the past. It was an AFP Detective Sergeant who suggested I take up writing, possibly in jest, and I thank him for it. The latter reemed me hard for my Cabinet-in-Confidence clearance. Despite having custodianship of Federal Cabinet papers in a former position (many of which I read), I have never revealed their contents and never will – I think that works in my favour.

The idea of CanberraLeaks is to provide a small-scale local outlet for information of a sensitive nature. Many of us have been privy to examples of corruption and waste, but for the sake of job security (or just sanity) have chosen to bite our tongues.

What most don’t know is that CanberraLeaks was a week from going live as an info-gathering tool for The Crimes. My idea, their resources. I fell out with management over security issues and wanted more credit for the concept than they were prepared to offer. My fall from grace at the paper can be traced to those events, along with a few other issues that have legal implications, so I won’t go into them now.

Thanks for taking an interest, good or bad, it’s all ultimately good. Personally, I’m excited every time I open the email. You never know what may turn and where it will lead.

I-filed8:11 pm 31 May 12

Stuff and nonsense. Since when was canteen food anything but a luxury for schoolkids?

Brown bread sandwiches x 2, cheese & tomato – home-made cost $1.00 each.
Piece of fruit in season: 40c
Home-made Anzac biscuit: 20c.

$2.60 for a full lunch. Smaller kids: just one sandwich.

Ko.8:02 pm 31 May 12

Wikileaks- Diplomatic Cables and Intelligence Analysis Reports.
CanberraLeaks- Fat kids can’t afford a Pizza Rounda and a chocolate moove.

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