Prime Minister Kevin Rudd and the
Federal Government have once more come under criticism from members of the Opposition
for spending, this time seen as little more than ‘self-promotion.’
Since coming to power, the Rudd Government
have rolled out funding to schools
across the country, in what Education Minister Julia ‘Gilla Monster’
Gillard has called ‘the biggest school modernisation project this country's
ever seen.’

Education Minister Julia Gillard with student (Reg Ryan)
‘Schools will obviously want
to have a celebration when their brand new gymnasium or 21st century library
or classrooms are finished,’ Ms Gillard said.
These celebrations will in most cases
take the form of launch ceremonies for the opening of new buildings, with the
unveiling of commemorative plaques, said to have cost the Government more than
$3.5 million in total. Opposition education spokesman Christopher Pyne has
branded the exercise as the spending as nothing more than the creation of photo
opportunities.
‘This Government is all about
spin and self-promotion and trying to get itself re-elected,’ Mr. Pyne
said. ‘So the fact they'd spend $3.75 million on plaques and signs and
self-promotion - every dollar of which is borrowed - should come as no surprise
to anyone. You would think that they would be embarrassed enough to say “Well,
let's not borrow $3.75 million to promote Julia Gillard and Kevin Rudd.”’
Mr. Pyne has recent history of being
argumentative with Prime Minister Rudd, having this been forced to withdraw
an insult made to Mr. Rudd in Parliament. While answering a question regarding
the Government’s debt strategies, Mr. Pyne interrupted with ‘Answer
the question, Mr. Squiggle!’
Miss Jane and Mr Squiggle (ABC)
Meanwhile, Mr. Rudd was accused of
demeaning the office of the Prime Minister when he used large pictures of renovation
projects in schools to demonstrate how money was being spent. Opposition front-bencher
Julie Bishop deemed the pictures ‘silly
props.’
‘I've never seen a prime minister
stoop to the sort of silly antics that we saw this week,’ Ms. Bishop said.

Kevin Rudd being presented with a cricket shirt (cricket.org)

Kevin Rudd and Rabbi Dovid Slaven(The Jewish Star)
It is evident, however,
that props have been an important part of Mr. Rudd’s political success.
Photographic evidence shows that Mr. Rudd has for some time utilised props whenever
possible.

(Alan Porritt, AAP) |

(Kym Smith, news.com.au) |