Laptops for all senior school children.

[Leroy]

Ok, so as he said in the 2007 election campaign, Rudd is now starting to wheel out laptops to children in yrs 9-12.

AND THEY GET TO KEEP IT WHEN THEY LEAVE SCHOOL!!!

He has given the states 15.1 billion to perform this rollout.

So, given the economic stimulus package (which arguably hasn't worked) which cost 10 billion, various increases to welfare handouts, and now this - he has spent more than we have in surplus. Theoretically, we should now be in deficit.

Where is this money coming from?

Even more importantly, if the kids get to keep these laptops... does that mean we have to continually fork out for the next lot of kids entering each year?

Why do kids even need laptops? Other than the few assignments they get each term, what will they do with them? I'm in my last semester of uni now (after 6 yrs) and have never owned a laptop!

I wager that 90% of them will be used for internet chatting, playing games, and perusing pornography - or stolen off children on their home by bullies/junkies.

Unless, of course, Rudd is going to use these laptops as his platform to turn the optional net-nanny services (required by law to be offered by ALL ISPs in Australia) into compulsorily enforced net-nanny services.

(Which would then ***** me even more...)

How about saving most of that money, and spending more time changing the classrooms into respectable places of learning - rather than the 9-3 playgroups currently on offer :angry: :angry:

[Simo]

I didnt vote for him...

[Tats]

Prediction #1 - so many laptops will get stolen/broken that the cost will double and the scheme will be scrapped

Prediction #2 - junkies/junky parents will try and flog the laptop for their next fix

[DJKOR]

I didnt vote for him...

Same here.

As for the laptops... seriously, what a waste. You can not give a 14-17 year old a laptop and expect them to use it for their school work. Those laptops will only ever see:

1) Live Messenger

2) Bebo

3) MySpace

4) Porn

Students are getting lazier by the year and not many of them are going to be using their laptops in a academic manner. Of course there will be the exception to all that who will actually use the laptop appropriately, but it's not enough justification to give every student a laptop. Those students will excel regardless and don't need to be given a laptop to do so. Anyways, in this day and age nearly all households have a PC. When I was in high school, I shared the family PC for my school work and there was no problem with that.

[MT]

1) Didn't vote for the clown.

2) Agree with everything stated above (esp Tats).

[SuperDave]

Is there a link to an article on this? I'm not trying to defend him, but I thought he originally said 'access to a computer' which I interpreted as 'go to your local library you bogans'.

3 weeks and the surplus is gone, going by this spending rate...

[Tats]

Prediction #3 - the SMS-speak problem with kids currently going through school will only be exacerbated by the constant exposure to aids like spelling and grammar checkers. Hell, I work with a bloke my age who refuses to type out professional emails properly because it's easier to type "wk" than "week"

[DJKOR]

Prediction #3 - the SMS-speak problem with kids currently going through school will only be exacerbated by the constant exposure to aids like spelling and grammar checkers. Hell, I work with a bloke my age who refuses to type out professional emails properly because it's easier to type "wk" than "week"

Agreed. If there is anything that annoys me more, it's the spelling and grammar (or lack of) coming out of each progressing generation. Call me old fashioned (LOL, I'm only 21) but I hate it how kids these days write with abbreviations or spell words that look 'kewl'. It's just a mess.

[thegourou20]

I think it's fine provided you know when you are right or wrong! :)

[Ascendant Rice]

Prediction #3 - the SMS-speak problem with kids currently going through school will only be exacerbated by the constant exposure to aids like spelling and grammar checkers. Hell, I work with a bloke my age who refuses to type out professional emails properly because it's easier to type "wk" than "week"

Agreed. If there is anything that annoys me more, it's the spelling and grammar (or lack of) coming out of each progressing generation. Call me old fashioned (LOL, I'm only 21) but I hate it how kids these days write with abbreviations or spell words that look 'kewl'. It's just a mess.

LAWL i c wat u did thur.

(just joking)

[Leroy]

Is there a link to an article on this? I'm not trying to defend him, but I thought he originally said 'access to a computer' which I interpreted as 'go to your local library you bogans'.

3 weeks and the surplus is gone, going by this spending rate...

I was recalling an article from yesterday's Sunday Telegraph (or the Sun-Herald??)...

... it seems I was misled by the article also. Everything else in my original post I still stand by - but after perusing the news pages this morning, I'm now led to believe the 15.1 billion is for a 5 yr period, and also includes funding for hospitals.

What is an interesting figure, however, is the government's forecast for the budget over this period:

The government also slashed its budget surplus forecasts to A$5.4 billion for 2008/09 from A$21.7 billion in May. Over the coming four years, the surplus will total A$18.3 billion compared to A$79.3 billion forecast in May.

At this current rate of spending, I'm finding it difficult to think of areas where Rudd is going to save enough to bring us back to 18.3 billion... <_<

Especially with the new IR laws coming through this week (but that's for another thread I think B) )

[mrs.sportivo]

AND THEY GET TO KEEP IT WHEN THEY LEAVE SCHOOL!!!

not all schools let them keep it - i know a few schools who dont let them take it home

but anyways, agreed with most of it i dont like the expensive drinks at the club :( me and a few mates have to buy alcohol and drink when we get up to the city before hitting the clubs LOL ahh students on a budget

but i guess its good for the kids who dont have access to a computer, and im sure the public schools will be benefiting from it - nowadays everything is done on computers, and if a kid's never used one before or isnt great with one then it might be a problem for the future - i think its also promoting better and newer technology = job for me and you (dont know im just assuming LOL)

[spillige]

i hate rudd, the only reason he won is cause he had that stupid catch line -kevin for 07- the thing about him is he is trying to please every one, where johny was a penny pincher who put his foot down. u can blame this all on kevins right hand man or should i say woman...

[Simo]

Ah well, next time we are sitting in a hospital waiting for 8 hours just be happy that some where a 16 year old kid got there assignment done on time.

[mrs.sportivo]

why cant u guys look on the better side of things of what his actually doing ? im a rudd supporter sorry :)

http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewb...oes_good_thing/

my dad for one, owes my mum over 100k still

and im sure most of you's are loving the new 14k for first home buyers grant or the students who will be getting 1grand this month - to help pay for some textbooks or what not.

[qkslvr]

Money spent in the wrong areas if you ask me. give the budget to the schools to decide what they want to do with it. i know of high schools who's music rooms don't have enough instruments for all the students, or some science classrooms where students have to share a bunsen burner...it's a really really sad state of affairs for those public schools. What is the labour gov thinking? I'm starting to regret voting for them now. =(

[Leroy]

why cant u guys look on the better side of things of what his actually doing ? im a rudd supporter sorry :)

http://blogs.news.com.au/heraldsun/andrewb...oes_good_thing/

my dad for one, owes my mum over 100k still

and im sure most of you's are loving the new 14k for first home buyers grant or the students who will be getting 1grand this month - to help pay for some textbooks or what not.

Are you a Rudd supporter purely on the basis of him speaking Mandarin? :P To be honest, I can't see a lot else worth voting for...

Sure - recovering 1 billion in unpaid child support is good thing. But you have to put that in perspective - does that one billion substantially offset anything? By recovering 1 billion dollars, in the context of this thread, it merely reduces the 15 billion dollar payout to the states for education and health to 14 billion.

Again, sure the extra 14k given to first homeowners is also a good thing - but it is unsustainable. It was given out to encourage people to keep the real estate market alive while the effects of the credit crisis kick in - but considering the rate at which the budget surplus has disappeared, how long will it be until the government really cant afford to give 21k to all new homeowners? I give it another year.

.........................

Now, as this thread hasn't exactly exploded, I'm gonna open it up with another rant about the new Fair Work Australia reform kicking in.

Under Gillard's brilliant new scheme (sarcasm intended), the following is now going to happen in the workplace:

1. Individual agreements worth under 100,000pa are to be replaced with collective agreements.

2. If there is just one employee who is a union member, the unions then have grounds to pressure employers until all other employees are making the same amount.

3. Even on a non union workplace, the unions are allowed to come on site to inspect the financial records and working conditions - eg. checking to see if they can make claims for 'unfair' work practices, thus recruiting members and giving themselves ground for a new collective agreement.

4. Multi employer, same industry arbitration. This means that anyone who has 2 or more jobs in the same industry (eg, work at a cafe 3 days a week, then work at another cafe 2 days a week because it pays more) is to be awarded the higher rate of the 2 jobs over both jobs.

Now people whinged about WorkChoices because, theoretically, employers could pay whatever they wanted. But the opposite occurred - because there is a labour shortage in this country, employers were forced to compete with each other by offering higher rates of pay, or allowing skilled workers to negotiate their own terms and conditions to keep them on board.

Collective agreements, while nice in theory, will have the opposite effect. We are supposed to be spending our way out of potential recession but, considering the retail and hospitality sectors are forecast to make minimal profits this year, these measures will increase unemployment - forcing employers to increase pay, or deal with union interference, in the current climate will only force to them let workers go - or jack their prices up. Especially as the overwhelming majority of business in Australia is small business...

Edited December 1, 2008 by Leroy

[mrs.sportivo]

Sure - recovering 1 billion in unpaid child support is good thing. But you have to put that in perspective - does that one billion substantially offset anything? By recovering 1 billion dollars, in the context of this thread, it merely reduces the 15 billion dollar payout to the states for education and health to 14 billion.

eh ? rudds not paying the single mums, his just hiring people to chase up on the dads who still owe money lols and well rudd and his infrastructure talk i think i like that too - anyone notice how smooth hume highway is nowadays ? no more potholes = again more work for people = more skills = more money = better everything. i think rudd is also trying to increase our standard of living, lols supposidly our internet (? correct me if im wrong - remember hearing it off someone) is like the 3rd world countries.

Edited December 2, 2008 by mrs.sportivo

[Leroy]

no more potholes = again more work for people = more skills = more money = better everything.

That makes no sense whatsoever!! Let me get this straight - due to there being no more potholes on the Hume highway, the Australian public has developed more skills?

BTW, the last time I travelled the Hume highway was in around April 2007. I spent a good half an hour stopping and starting through roadworks. Rudd didn't get voted in until November 2007 - I wonder what government may have been in power until then...

[Kenneth]

I absolutely hate rudd.. like few of us here i didnt vote for him..

I thought I was wrong after some of the policy and actions he took over the past year but this new "spending frenzy" he just announced made me HATE labour more then ever..

i'd like to see how they going to stuff the australian economy over ONCE again and then the libs will hv to clean the mess perhaps?

[dannywss]

no matter who you vote and who won the election, the result will still be the same..

every human being is selfish(in a way) and there is no doubt in that..

if i gave you 1k for no reason and i asked nothing in return, you gotta laugh; but to those who didnt receive the 1k, bad things will come out from their month/finger..

NOT tat i agree on giving free laptops, but at least those kids can just trade them for something, like ps3, alcohol or drug~ why not? WIN WIN situation rite? :P

[Leroy]

NOT tat i agree on giving free laptops, but at least those kids can just trade them for something, like ps3, alcohol or drug~ why not? WIN WIN situation rite? :P

Haha - thats precisely why I don't like the idea . I don't want to fund schoolies week!

[MT]

and the fact that interest rates have dropped by a further entire percent proves how much this government knows about economic policy management.

[Jaaassseeee]

and the fact that interest rates have dropped by a further entire percent proves how much this government knows about economic policy management.

True, but it also depends how you look at it.

Inflation is going down, lowering interest rate increasing the likelihood of spending. Sometimes a lot of people follow too strictly on rules of economics. Time is needed for things to kick into effect, and especially with the economy; every policy they put out has a certain time lag whether it be a day to a few years. I'm willing to give it time. In case you guys didn't know many people were dissing poor ol' Johnny when he first started.

Then again, I definitely don't see Rudd's laptop spending as wise, but wasn't Johnny's (and his right hand man Prime Minister wannabe) ignorance to the rise of housing problems something that ****** many of the low income earners anyway? Especially in Perth, if you want to live in a half decent house it'd cost upwards of 500k. If it wasn't the support of China in the WA mining sector a lot of people will be out of jobs. The $2billion natural gas project (now running until 2011) alone created thousands of jobs for us, that's why us WA'ians are seeing so many of the Eastern states people flocking over.

Looking at the economy on the outer, the average salary of the common Tom, ***** and Harry only earns around a little lower than 50k a year. After paying for your living expenses and so forth (kids, cars, petrol, blah blah blah) and then taxation kicks in, they're only left with maybe 20k in their pocket if they're lucky. Here's to most of you paying off your house mortgage for the next 50 years.

I don't like the spending either, but they have a hard job to do and they can't satisfy everyone. There's plenty of problems out there that haven't been met yet, and I doubt many of them will be met.

At the end of the day, politicians are liars. They all are, because they have to.

[SuperDave]

Then again, I definitely don't see Rudd's laptop spending as wise, but wasn't Johnny's (and his right hand man Prime Minister wannabe) ignorance to the rise of housing problems something that ****** many of the low income earners anyway? Especially in Perth, if you want to live in a half decent house it'd cost upwards of 500k. If it wasn't the support of China in the WA mining sector a lot of people will be out of jobs. The $2billion natural gas project (now running until 2011) alone created thousands of jobs for us, that's why us WA'ians are seeing so many of the Eastern states people flocking over.

Without the resource boom, the housing prices wouldn't have gone up as much as they have. The WA and QLD resources are whats propping us up at the moment (as well as flow on industries), and has for a while. We may not be selling as much as we had leading up to the Olympics, but demand is still there for our raw materials. International investors aren't touching us at the moment because if the major economies hit recession they can't afford resources. I'm no economist so I'm biased towards what I know in the engineering/resource areas.

Look on the bright side, at least the petrol is now cheap again since the Olympics ended.

Back to the original topic, money better spent on the lap top scheme, instead of bribing young voters, would have been to fund computer rooms/classes. I know my high school allowed kids in during lunch breaks, before and after school to do their assignments, or to just bum around on the net or playing games. The schools don't need to buy the computers just rent them like the businesses do. That way when they are slow and out of date they swap them over to the newer setups and keep paying the rent.