Foolish, Floundering – Perhaps Disingenuous?
Alan Carpenter is a person who claims a deep interest in Indigenous Affair. As Indigenous Affairs Minister he floundered and showed no initiative. He changed the name of the Department and rearranged a few deck chairs; junked a few worthwhile programs that didn't fit with his philosophy or were being run by people he regarded as reactionary. "Capacity building" became the new jargon and nothing happened .
The Desert Rat didn’t choke with surprise when he read in today’s "The West Australian" that 8 out of 10 children leave Fitzroy Crossing District High School without adequate literacy skills - that's code for semi-illiterate to illiterate and throw in appalling numeracy skills as well.
The Desert Rat on one of his northern sojourns spent some time at the Fitzroy Crossing District High School a few years back. It was in a terrible state of disrepair - the site was subject to flooding, it had an inadequate covered assembly area and substandard facilities. Liberal Education Minister Colin Barnett had announced and it was programmed to rebuilt it in 2001 - using funds from the sale of AlintaGas. Well the money was spent elsewhere by the then Minister for Education Alan Carpenter - building a "Taj Mahal" in his own electorate - the Melville Primary School.
Have a look on the Education Department website and see the photo of the grandiose Melville monument. Then look at Fitzroy Crossing DHS there is an image of a lean-to covered in a creeper. That was probably the best shot they could get.
How serious was Alan Carpenter as Education Minister about Aboriginal education when the unused old Melville Primary School was in infinitely better condition than Fitzroy Crossing DHS and yet he spent millions on a new school in his electorate?
To make matters worse, early on he got rid of (sacked?) Peter Browne the CEO of the Education Department who was actually making some real progress with the Department and Aboriginal Education. The Education Department resumed its downward spiral and the drift to private schools accelerated. Aboriginal education also lost any sense of direction and went backwards. The evidence of this sad state of affairs will be elaborated on in a later article.
So the Fitzroy kids missed out on their new school in 2001. Alan Carpenter closed a better school – old Melville Primary and built what could be likened to one of Saddam Hussain’s palaces next door. Aboriginal education took a turn for the worse – all thanks to our former Minister for Education and current directionless Premier.
On the same page of today’s “The West Australian” Carpenter says he won’t hand over the Report into the Department of Indigenous Affairs. He is quoted as saying “I want to employ strategies that will actually change things and not just fuel another report, yet another inquiry.” Well Alan, you called for the Report after the Halls Creek fiasco (a diversion?) and now won’t release it. People who made submissions were told that if they didn’t want their comments and name made public in the report, then they should lodge a confidential submission.
Well, the Rat is left scratching his ears wondering if Alan Carpenter has any ideas or anything to offer Indigenous people. The only thing the Rat can think of that may have upset old Grumpy Carpenter is that Julian Grill made a submission to the inquiry – heaven forbid – was he quoted – was Carpenter upstaged?
Now the public can’t be allowed to read that!
Alan Carpenter is a person who claims a deep interest in Indigenous Affair. As Indigenous Affairs Minister he floundered and showed no initiative. He changed the name of the Department and rearranged a few deck chairs; junked a few worthwhile programs that didn't fit with his philosophy or were being run by people he regarded as reactionary. "Capacity building" became the new jargon and nothing happened .
The Desert Rat didn’t choke with surprise when he read in today’s "The West Australian" that 8 out of 10 children leave Fitzroy Crossing District High School without adequate literacy skills - that's code for semi-illiterate to illiterate and throw in appalling numeracy skills as well.
The Desert Rat on one of his northern sojourns spent some time at the Fitzroy Crossing District High School a few years back. It was in a terrible state of disrepair - the site was subject to flooding, it had an inadequate covered assembly area and substandard facilities. Liberal Education Minister Colin Barnett had announced and it was programmed to rebuilt it in 2001 - using funds from the sale of AlintaGas. Well the money was spent elsewhere by the then Minister for Education Alan Carpenter - building a "Taj Mahal" in his own electorate - the Melville Primary School.
Have a look on the Education Department website and see the photo of the grandiose Melville monument. Then look at Fitzroy Crossing DHS there is an image of a lean-to covered in a creeper. That was probably the best shot they could get.
How serious was Alan Carpenter as Education Minister about Aboriginal education when the unused old Melville Primary School was in infinitely better condition than Fitzroy Crossing DHS and yet he spent millions on a new school in his electorate?
To make matters worse, early on he got rid of (sacked?) Peter Browne the CEO of the Education Department who was actually making some real progress with the Department and Aboriginal Education. The Education Department resumed its downward spiral and the drift to private schools accelerated. Aboriginal education also lost any sense of direction and went backwards. The evidence of this sad state of affairs will be elaborated on in a later article.
So the Fitzroy kids missed out on their new school in 2001. Alan Carpenter closed a better school – old Melville Primary and built what could be likened to one of Saddam Hussain’s palaces next door. Aboriginal education took a turn for the worse – all thanks to our former Minister for Education and current directionless Premier.
On the same page of today’s “The West Australian” Carpenter says he won’t hand over the Report into the Department of Indigenous Affairs. He is quoted as saying “I want to employ strategies that will actually change things and not just fuel another report, yet another inquiry.” Well Alan, you called for the Report after the Halls Creek fiasco (a diversion?) and now won’t release it. People who made submissions were told that if they didn’t want their comments and name made public in the report, then they should lodge a confidential submission.
Well, the Rat is left scratching his ears wondering if Alan Carpenter has any ideas or anything to offer Indigenous people. The only thing the Rat can think of that may have upset old Grumpy Carpenter is that Julian Grill made a submission to the inquiry – heaven forbid – was he quoted – was Carpenter upstaged?
Now the public can’t be allowed to read that!
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