More money wasted

The Dominion Post reports that milllions of dollars on “Closing the Gaps” has been squandered.

Hands up those surprised.

The report is absolutely damning. But what amazes me is that this is an internal report. Internal reports, as defined by Yes Minister, are meant to be white washes. It is only when you have the Auditor-General or a QC investigate that you sometimes get the full truth.

A summary of the report is:

* minimal achievement of the desired skill development, employment and enterprise development outcomes”.

* Guidelines restricting funding to established organisations were often ignored.

* A prohibition banning the payment of salaries to grant recipients was routinely “subverted”.

* CEG’s national office altered applications so they would meet criteria

UPDATE: The NZ Herald reports that the Government refused for six months to release the damning reports, until forced to by the Ombudsman. What else are they sitting on?

One can read the full reports for yourself on the DOL site. As you read them, ask why is there no accountability for what happened? How much money has to be wasted until a Minister is accountable. $15 million on a CD for community education isn’t enough either.