Summary of Recommendations

Recommendation 1

The committee majority recommends that all quarterly reports on maintaining state spending on primary school infrastructure be made available immediately.

Recommendation 2

The committee majority recommends that when the next round of P21 funding is made available the remaining P21 program funds be provided directly to those government schools choosing to manage their own projects to completion.

Recommendation 3

The committee majority recommends that the government immediately require all state and territory education authorities and Block Grant Authorities to publish breakdowns of all individual P21 project costs.

Recommendation 4

The committee majority recommends that DEEWR release original applications and project costs as P21 projects are completed, together with an explanation regarding any contract cost variations.

Recommendation 5

The committee majority recommends strengthening accountability mechanisms for oversight of state expenditure of Commonwealth money. This should include enhancing the powers of the Auditor-General to 'follow the money trail' to ensure value for money is achieved by the Commonwealth for state expenditure of Commonwealth monies.

Recommendation 6

The committee majority recommends that the BER Implementation Taskforce be given access to all costings and be able to examine all relevant contracts to enable it to properly discharge its function to ensure the community that value for money is being achieved.

Recommendation 7

To ensure that further taxpayer money is not subject to waste and mismanagement, the committee majority recommends that the release of any further BER funding be delayed until the BER Implementation Taskforce reports to the Minister for Education in August 2010.

Recommendation 8

The committee majority recommends that the BER Implementation Taskforce report be made publicly available when it is presented to the Minister for Education.

Recommendation 9

In order to fully examine the systemic failure of Commonwealth oversight mechanisms, the committee majority recommends that a judicial inquiry be established to inquire into whether the BER program has achieved value for money.

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