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Australia: Labor's $100M Schools Fibre Program Quietly Axed |
| Source: |
theaustralian.com.au |
| Source Date: |
Tuesday, June 14, 2011 |
| Focus: |
Electronic and Mobile Government, Citizen Engagement, Internet Governance
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| Country: |
Australia |
| Created: |
Jun 21, 2011 |
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THE Gillard government has quietly scrapped the $100 million Fibre Connection to Schools initiative established to complement Labor's ambitious computers in schools rollout.
The broadband program was part of federal Labor's 2007 digital education revolution election pledge.
The high-speed connection was meant to cover schools outside the National Broadband Network footprint.
The DER, which was to equip every secondary student with a computer and high-speed internet access, was a key part of Labor's Kevin 07 campaign.
But four years on, the proposal championed by Julia Gillard while in opposition and as education minister has vanished.
At a Senate estimates hearing earlier this month, Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations officials confirmed that the broadband plan had to make way for other government programs.
Asked directly by Queensland Liberal Senator Brett Mason if the fibre plan still existed, the department's Evan Arthur answered with an emphatic no.
"It is part of a savings measure for this portfolio which indicates that it was a component of savings measures in this budget," Dr Arthur, the department's national schools and youth partnerships group manager, said.
The May budget papers did not state that the fibre connection to schools plan had been ditched. Instead, it was lumped under "Digital Education Revolution redirection".
Dr Arthur said there were two components to the redirection.
"One element was the $100m for the Fibre Connections to Schools. Another element was a component of what is described in the budget papers as Digital Education Revolution projects."
Senator Mason then asked: "So bottom line is the $100m Fibre Connections to Schools initiative no longer exists."
Dr Arthur answered: "That is correct."
As education minister Ms Gillard described the fibre commitment as central to the government's plan to connect Australian schoolchildren to counterparts across the globe.
She stressed the high-speed connection would give schools outside the National Broadband Network footprint equal access.
"To ensure that all schools can connect with each other and with the world, we will be investing $100m to contribute to the provision of high-speed fibre-to-the-premise broadband connections in schools," Ms Gillard said at the Australian Computers in Education Conference in October 2008.
"Fast, reliable broadband will give Australian students access to new education applications such as virtual classrooms, e-books, visual and audio streaming, and high-definition videoconferencing.
"Schools in remote areas will receive a standard of service that will be as close as possible to the standard provided by the NBN."
A department survey last year showed that only 6147 out of 9693 schools surveyed had a fibre connection.
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Australia: Labor's $100M Schools Fibre Program Quietly Axed THE Gillard government has quietly scrapped the 100 million Fibre Connection to Schools initiative established to complement Labor's ambitious computers in schools rollout
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