Fairfax Media | 9 December 2014 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… The Abbott government has launched a taxpayer-funded advertising campaign to address concerns about its proposed higher education changes, key aspects of which enjoy little support in the wider community. The youth-focussed campaign, based on the theme "Your future is Australia's future", is aimed at countering claims about skyrocketing degree costs under a deregulated fee system. Labor has run its own campaign - the difference being its ads were paid political advertising, not a taxpayer funded exercise. ……………………………………………………………………………………………….......…… Prime time television advertisements launched on … [Read more...]
Vocation on the rack
09/12/2014 by
The Australian | 5 December 2014 ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… Following the resignation of John Dawkins as chair, Vocation chief executive Mark Hutchinson says he’ll stay on as CEO at the struggling education provider despite the company halving its financial-year earnings forecast and seeing a further plunge in its share price ( from a high of over $3 to around $0.50 following regulatory findings to just $0.19 currently), on the back of apparent failures in governance and poor operational policy and procedures. Meanwhile, estranged former director Brett Whitford, who has called for root and branch change, has substantially lifted his stake in the company from 9.11% … [Read more...]
A candle in memory of David
09/12/2014 by
9 December 2014 On 9 December 2006,17 year old David Iredale and three mates went for a hike in the Blue Mountains as part of their Duke Of Edinburgh Award program. They planned it pretty carefully and they had detailed maps and stuff. But it all went terribly wrong: the maps indicated a fresh water source along the route, which wasn't there. It was hot -mid-30s centrigrade- and they'd run out of water. Somehow, David became separated from his mates - my recollection is that as the strongest of the hiking party, he struck out ahead of the others to seek assistance. He became severely dehydrated and rang emergency … [Read more...]
