HAG
There’s something very strange about the story of the Education Foundation … which stimulates a number of questions.

Firstly, why did Premier David Bartlett indicate on ABC Local’s Tim Cox this morning that he didn’t have final veto in the appointees of the Education Foundation’s board of directors? Surely all board appointments go through the Premier’s office, particularly for a prize baby like the EF, otherwise why on earth would you be using these public figures to front your favourite charity?

Secondly, why was Brendan Blomeley on the EF Board? Blomeley is Corporate Affairs Manager, Federal Group. Could it just be that the wise and clever heads of Labor knew/hoped that Federal Hotels would be donating?
Given that the EF has fallen over due to funding problems, is Hag right in assuming that Federal Hotels has failed to make a donation to the EF?

Should we be asking if the board is part of the EF’s problem?

And, Hag thinks that if Bartlett didn’t make time to meet with foundation chair Andrew Scobie to articulate his “vision” for the EF any number of times, then he only has himself to blame for it falling over.

Finally, Hag wants to know, why are these ALP sanctioned board sitters all suddenly coming out against Andrew Scobie – (conveniently timed alongside nasty (ALP sized) leaks about his previous bankruptcy etc.?

Text of the link above:
ABC Online:The Tasmanian Government says funding for the Tasmanian Education Foundation was not cut in this year’s State budget.

All but one of the Foundation’s six board members have now quit, leaving just Andrew Scobie from the Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

This morning, a former director, Brendan Blomeley, said the foundation was allocated $1 million over two years but this year’s share had been cut from the State budget.

The Government says the two-year funding was allocated in the previous budget, meaning it did not need to appear in this year’s budget papers.

Mr Blomeley has corrected himself, after consulting the Premier’s office.

“I understand from my discussions with the Premier’s office this morning that all funding has stopped, at this present point in time, for the Education Foundation,” he said.

“But there were funds available in this budget, going forward.

“But at the moment, a halt’s been put on those funds.”.

The Premier, David Bartlett, says the money is in the budget, but no longer available because industry failed to match the Government’s funding, dollar-for-dollar. Read the ABC Online story here