AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR THE DEFENCE OF GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS - D.O.G.S.

PRESS RELEASE 111#.

ACCOUNTABILITY FOR STATE AID

 THE FOX WATCHING OVER THE CHICKENS?

 DOGS have been attempting to get to the bottom of the quantum and accountability of State Aid to private church schools since the 1960s. Since the days of the Schools Commission in 1973, accountability has been minimal . There is no Federal Government publication since the early 1970s that lists the per capita payment to individual schools. In recent years availability of information and public accountability for State Aid has declined even further.

DOGS were advised to appeal to the Commonwealth Auditor General. by those who believed that there was still some independent authority which accounted for taxpayers money. They did so. Our letters to the Auditor General and others regarding accountability are contained in our earlier Media Releases . In particular, we refer you to Press Release 84#  www.adogs.info/pr84.htm . Also See Press Release 76# at www.adogs.info/pr76.htm , Press Release 69# at www.adogs.info/pr69.htm, Press Release 26 at www.adogs.info/pr26.htm ,Press Release 27# at www.adogs.info/pr27.htm and Press Release 13# at www.adogs.info/pr13.htm

The following is the text of our reply to the unsatisfactory response to our previous correspondence which we received from the Commonwealth Auditor General.

Mr Ian McPhee,

Commonwealth Auditor General,

Canberra,

ACT 2601.                                                                  Date:       7 June 2005

Dear Sir,

Thank you for your 16 May 2005 response to our letter of 24 April 2005. We note your reply that:

“The matters you have raised are primarily matters for consideration by the Government and the Department of Education, Science and Training.”

We remind you that we would not have taken the advice of others who informed us that you took seriously your independent auditing responsibilities for expenditure of billions of dollars of taxpayers’ money, if we had been satisfied with the performance of the Department of Education, Science and Training, or the Federal Government in the first place.

We consider that your response as outlined above is akin to telling us that it is okay for the fox to watch over the chickens. In this context, we refer you to our letter to your predecessor, Mr Barrett of 28 April 2004, in which we pointed out an interchange at a Senate Hearing Tuesday 22 August 2001 as follows:

Senator Allison: Does this process need to be ticked off by the Commonwealth Government? What are your reporting requirements in terms of the rationale and the actual dollars?

Mrs Temby (Member, National Catholic Education Commission): It is available for the Commonwealth if they wish to have it. In recent times, they have not asked for the detail.

Mr Barrett failed to respond. At least you have sent us a letter.

However, DOGS in the light of your response, to our correspondence, we believe that the Australian National Audit Office is part of the State Aid accountability joke practiced upon Australian citizens.

Yours sincerely,

RAY NILSEN

PRESIDENT DOGS