Building the Education Revolution (BER) is an Australian government program administered by the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) designed to provide new and refurbished infrastructure to all eligible Australian schools.[1] The program was part of the Rudd government's economic stimulus package designed to deal with the 2007–2010 global financial crisis.
The program, totalling A$16.2 billion has three elements:[1]
The program has attracted attention from critics of the government for alleged "rorting" (misappropriation of public funds) and for not delivering value-for-money outcomes. Many instances of inflated quotes or new buildings that were not particularly useful to the school were reported. The Leader of the Opposition Tony Abbott called for a judicial inquiry into the BER and the Home Insulation Program, described by the opposition Liberal Party as "failed programs" and a "waste of public money".[2]
In April 2010, the government announced the formation of the BER Implementation Taskforce "to ensure projects are providing value for money". Gillard defended the BER saying that it was "already one of the most heavily scrutinised programs in the nation's history" and that the program was the "centerpiece" of a economic stimulus package that helped to "ensure that a generation of Australians weren't consigned to months or years of joblessness.".[3]
After the 2010 election 'BER' moved under the portfolio of Senator Chris Evans.
The Taskforce, headed by Brad Orgill, former chairman and chief executive of UBS Australasia, delivered its report to Senator Evans on 15 December 2010. The report found that most of BER projects had been successfully delivered, with only 3% of the schools involved in the program making complaints. Projects in NSW received the most complaints. The third and final report by Brad Orgill found that BER projects in NSW, QLD and VIC overpaid for buildings by more than 25% on average compared to Catholic schools and more than 55% compared to Independent schools. [4]
Economist Joseph Stiglitz commented in August 2010 that the government's stimulus package, including the BER, was well-designed by world standards and that some waste was inevitable.[5]