13 February 2007

Government blocks information about school closures

| louise
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The ACT Opposition has accused the Government of taking unprecedented action to block the release of documents related to the decision to close 23 schools across Canberra.

A story on ABC online shows just how shy the government is about letting people know the reasoning behind its school closures agenda.

Perhaps the most surprising aspect of this item is that anyone expected the government to treat the community with any less contempt than it did last year.

The 2008 election can’t come soon enough.

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I’d vote for JB too.

You’ve got an audience of what, several thousand here?

I’d vote for JB. At least he’s likely to put the documents on his website for all to read.

Or, as I’ve said before, vote Party Party Party Party.

ACT govt wouldn’t want to give over any docs that could be construed as breaching the Education Act, which says the process should be ‘open and transparent’ (see here at p 14, s 20(7)(b) http://www.legislation.act.gov.au/a/2004-17/current/pdf/2004-17.pdf )
The irony.

JB, you after a change in career?

Anarchy is the answer.

Minority government is the only way to hold a government in the ACT accountable. Independents, minor parties – with proportional voting you have the chance to get a few of them in – so everyone should get out out and support like-minded free-willed candidates. The more the ACT government becomes like a local council the better.

maybe they just left the beer mat they did the figuring out on in the Labor Club?

There is no such security classification of ‘not in the publics interest’ at local government level.

I have run out of people to vote for in the next elections, as I have nothing but contempt for most of my ‘representatives’.

We’ve got a Labour government that is above it’s station
We’ve got a Liberal opposition that can’t get itself together as a party, let alone stand as opposition
We’ve got a greens opposition that is a leech on society
Has anybody heard of the Democrats at all recently or have they faded from existence ?

GO THE SOCIAL LEFT !

It was more a comment about this govt than anything else. I think it is the majority govt. thing that is the issue. Gotta avoid majorities.

There’s no way a minority govt. could get away with holding back on information because it is not in their (oops, the public) interest.

louise: I’m not so sure ’bout Kate… remember “The grass is always greener”… especially wherever Kate sprays it 😉

I have heard it said that this govt’s crowning achievement was to make Kate look good 😉

Okay, I agree, we don’t have much of an opposition

Indeed, and the poor excuse for an opposition would probably just get drunk on the power.

They probably just odnt’ want people poring over the documents and finding illogicalities and inconsistencies.

probably used a white-board 😉

Hasdrubahl, well considering the land for Griffith Library sold for a mint, what other reason is there for closing the schools?

It’s all about money.

You can’t write a decent policy in 3-6 months. It was too hastily put together with maximum impact and confusion.

School communities will still be feeling the “sting” for the next 2 years, if not longer. This includes student numbers and staffing issues.

They probably just odnt’ want people poring over the documents and finding illogicalities and inconsistencies.

The towards 2020 mob only had a few months to work out which schools to close, so I’m sure it was a pretty chaotic process and some random decisions were made. They just don’t want people examining the fine print now.

Correction: WAS your money.

Ingeegoodbee9:32 pm 13 Feb 07

Mate it’s like putting bread out for pidgeons … the more money you let slip through your fingers as tax, the more leeches and parasites the government employs to spend your money … never forget that it’s your money!

You mean there’s only one?

Ingeegoodbee9:04 pm 13 Feb 07

I do find it difficult to imagine how transparency in a decision that directly affects the Canberra public can be deemed ‘not in the public interest’ by some faceless leech in the bureaucracy.

So what, fellow conspiratorialists, are the REAL reasons for the closure of these schools?

swissbignose7:39 pm 13 Feb 07

Has anyone considered that the reason why the release of these documents is “not in the public’s interest”, is because they recommend that far more than the 39 targetted schools should be closed down, including the reduction in force of an equivalent number of teachers/administrators/support staff?

Imagine the chaos then.

(I’ve made the assumption that these documents were part of/came out of/were derived from the Costello report. Costello’s brief wouldn’t have been “deliver us a report that would be easy to spin to the media and public”.)

One would think though that if the people are requesting them in “large” numbers, the Govt would release the information without prejudice.

As per usual it will be a game of cat and mouse, ignoring the taxpayers of the ACT who pay their over-priced salaries.

All that appears to have happened is that the department has sought more time to prepare for the AAT – not suprisingly considering how many FOI requests the department would have received on the subject!

caf, all documents relating to the school closures were requested.

It’s impossible to judge this without knowing what documents were requested.

Why not look at the post instead of being a smart-arse?

The Govt is covering up something and I’d be safe to say its re: numbers (students, monies paid etc).

schools.

yep. top level codeword info that….

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