TAFE BOARD APPOINTMENTS FOR THE LABOR GANG

The State Minister for Education, John Della Bosca, is hit with new allegations of granting favours for friends when he appointed former Labor Federal Minister Michael Lee, a former Cronulla De La Salle college school mate to the head of the TAFE commission board for three years.  Della Bosca also appointed the former NSW Government Tourism Minister Sandra Nori, who retired from Parliament in 2007, to the board and also reappointed the former Keating Government adviser Anne De Salis.

On Monday April 14, 2008 Michael Lee and Ms. Nori confirmed that Della Bosca had telephoned them to offer them the appointments.

The appointment of Michael Lee, the former Federal Communications Minister, follows his previous job for the boys with Country Energy.  He lost his seat of Dobell on the Central Coast at the 2001 elections.  In early April 2008 a media report revealed that $73,000 worth of Government grants from one of Della Bosca’s agencies, the Motor Accidents Authority, had gone to Concerned Families for Australian Truckies run by a friend who baby sat Della Bosca’s dog Checkers.

An added low light was the fact the former husband of a former campaign manager for Della Bosca’s wife, the Federal Labor MP Belinda Neal, had been awarded a $15,000 Premier’s education scholarship.  Della Bosca has stated he had nothing to do with Concerned Families of Australian Truckies receiving $73,000 from the Motor Accidents Authority or the TWU receiving $660,905 form WorkCover.

And his office maintains the scholarship was awarded by an independent panel of “eminent experts” and that the Minister had no involvement.  “and pigs will fly.”