on 21-05-2014 01:31 PM
Tony Abbott’s daughter Frances received a “chairman’s scholarship” for a degree costing more than $60,000 from the Whitehouse Institute of Design where an Abbott donor sits as chairman on the board of governors, Guardian Australia can reveal.
The revelation raises questions for the prime minister over whether the scholarship should have been declared on his interests register.
The Coalition government is also under pressure over changes to higher education funding announced in the budget.
Frances Abbott undertook a bachelor of design at the Whitehouse Institute of Design in Sydney from 2011 to 2013. Guardian Australia has confirmed that she received a scholarship during her time at the institute.
“Frances definitely was a student with us and received a chairman’s scholarship,” Leanne Whitehouse, director of the Institute told Guardian Australia. She declined to detail how many times the “chairman’s scholarship” has been awarded previously, but the institute’s website makes no references to the scholarship and states the institute “does not currently offer scholarships to gain a place into the Bachelor of Design”.
on 23-05-2014 12:57 PM
@am*3 wrote:
Thats not the point at all. The Whitehouse College kept the scholarship secret, they didn't want anyone to know about it, even some senior staff. Why would that be hmmm?
Done them more harm than good.
They didn't keep the fact that Frances Abbott was at the college a secret though. Nice PR for them.
I feel sorry for her. I can't help but feel she has been used and now she is caught up in this mess.
on 23-05-2014 01:01 PM
on 23-05-2014 01:41 PM
"But TA has certainly broken the conditions of his employment as a Federal public servant"
Chuckle.
"Employees should be aware of agency-specific policies about accepting gifts and benefits; such policies should apply to members of an employee's family, where acceptance may impact on the employee's official duties."
"I think that this makes it pretty clear that the acceptance of a $60,000 scholarship by the PMs family that falls in the category of "free or discounted training and development courses" should not have been accepted. And at the very least, should have been declared."
That might be correct if it applied to parliamentarians INAM, but IT DOES NOT, because they are not covered under the Public Service Act, and if you bothered to consider your statement, Abbott, or any parliamentarian for that matter, are NOT employees of the public service and thus their families are not covered by your irrelevant comments. It should also be noted that:
"Section 44(v) of the Constitution states that any person who has any direct or indirect pecuniary interest in any agreement with the Public Service of the Commonwealth.........shall be incapable of being chosen or of sitting as a Senator or a Member of the House of Representatives." i.e if you are a public servant you can not be a "member"
Basically this story is a beat-up by the Guardian and like minded myopics making cheap political shots, even B1G has done a C&P! yet I have still to see a ALP federal politician baying at Abbotts tumbril, why?.
Please can any one here indicate the alleged conflict of interest back then, because having completed the course in 2013 there would be none of the mythical conflict now, not that was any in 2011.
Have to repeat this nonsense:
"But TA has certainly broken the conditions of his employment as a Federal public servant"
The Public Service's boss is the government
nɥºɾ
on 23-05-2014 01:44 PM
on 23-05-2014 01:45 PM
maybe monman but the perception is still there that TA is making a push for what might be construed by many as being a mite bit hypocritical.
on 23-05-2014 01:46 PM
you people need to raise your standards, you are slipping.
i have just finished reading about the undeclared gear gift. and it has yet to be mentioned here
on 23-05-2014 01:47 PM
Hoping free ride Frances reads this.
on 23-05-2014 01:52 PM
thanks for posting this link to this open letter justduff......very well and fairly said IMO.
on 23-05-2014 01:56 PM
I thought so Paints
on 23-05-2014 02:01 PM