The report on the BER was released yesterday. Despite attempts to smear Orgill by the shock jock hysterocracy, it looks balanced.
There is something in the DNA of city based editors and shock jocks that has them resent any money spent on public schools, especially bush schools.
It's as if these families are not deserving because they had the temerity to send their kids to state schools. Of course, if you live in Teelba, Thallon or Begonia, for example, you have no option. There's no point in opening a private school in these locations - there's no profit to be made.
It does my heart good as I visit these schools to see the building under way or completed. Irrespective of who wins the federal election, these resources will provide a better quality of schooling for many thousands of bush kids over the next few decades in this part of the world (and everywhere else in the country, of course).
Almost all of the schools I'm familiar with haven't had a sod turned in years. It took a government with guts and foresight to initiate this - despite all the orchestrated criticism from big media and ignorant shock jocks.
They also conveniently forget that this was a successful stimulus measure. Bernie Fraser reminded us of the efficacy of these initiatives yesterday.
Of course, Bolt lacks the backbone to publish a comment pointing out that his posting on the issue today is a clumsily concocted smear.
