Monday, November 23, 2009

RDA Bathurst must come clean on its share of the $3.7m Trade Training Centre Funding

Carenne Special School was granted part of a $3.7 million grant awarded to the Denison Trade Traning Centre under the Rudd government's Trade Training Centres in Schools program. The overall grant was awarded to the two campuses of Denison College and Carenne Special School.

Carenne Special School's funding was allocated for stock handling enclosures and an aquaculture tank to be built at the school.

An article by the local Bathurst newspaper on 6 March 2009 spoke of local schools windfall and quoted former Carenne Special School principal Lynette Duncan. It also said:

Funding for Carenne School will go towards primary industries, agriculture
and Riding for the Disabled programs.

The question is how much of this funding, given by the federal government to a state government ran school has found its way to the Bathurst branch of the Riding for the Disabled Association? Did the federal government know this was going to happen and does it fall under the criteria for the Trade Training Centre program?

How much of this will be built on land which the NSW Department of Education and Training has leased to RDA? We already know that Michael Auld was pivotal in having the land leased to RDA, without concern for how the school would expand in the future. Given that the only available space around Carenne is now leased to RDA, will the whole thing be built on that land?

How much of the $3.7 million will be apportioned to RDA?

The Carenne Saviours advise that the reason RDA was to receive funding was due to Michael Auld and Lynette Duncan being the only members of the school's TTC committee and Mr Auld being on the board of RDA. This in itself raises some very serious conflict of interest issues.

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