Hon Bill English - National Party Education Spokesman

15 December 2004

Maharey plays on as ship goes down

National's Education spokesman, Bill English, says Steve Maharey should face the music and realise that his tertiary strategy has been a $1.54 billion failure.

"The Government's 'Retention, Completion and Progression in Tertiary Education' report tells a sorry story about the state of certificate and diploma courses."

The report finds that of the students commencing study in 2000, after three years: o 70% of students studying towards a diploma had not completed study. o 72% of students studying towards a certificate had not completed study.

Over the past four years the Government has spent over $2.2 billion on these courses.

Mr English says the 70% non-completion rate effectively means $1.54 billion has been wasted.

"The Minister's attempts to rebut fundamental facts show that once again he is unwilling to clean up his own mess.

"Schools are crying out for more money at a time when the Minister is wasting hundreds of millions of dollars," says Mr English.

ENDS

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Gordon Campbell: On the Sony cyber attack

Given the layers of meta-irony involved, the saga of the Sony cyber attack seemed at the outset more like a snarky European art film than a popcorn entry at the multiplex.

Yet now with (a) President Barack Obama weighing in on the side of artistic freedom and calling for the US to make a ‘proportionate response’quickly followed by (b) North Korea’s entire Internet service going down, and with both these events being followed by (c) Sony deciding to backtrack and release The Interview film that had made it a target for the dastardly North Koreans in the first place, then ay caramba…the whole world will now be watching how this affair pans out. More>>