She must be some might fine designer

[freakiness]

http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/may/21/tony-abbotts-daughter-did-not-have-to-pay-for-60000-des...

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”.

[cherry*135]

🙂

[freakiness]

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@*mrgrizz* wrote:

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@am*3 wrote:
"this all happened back before her father would have even decided to make these policies.
maybe they should make it retrospective and include all people who finished degrees in 2011.......which to me is the same as what is happening here"

No it isn't . The main issue about the scholarship was it does not appear to be given on merit.
The fact that FA had $60 000 tuition for free is grating on people now, in light of the budget changes for Increased Uni fees.

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the fact is that the women who owns that PRIVATE college has the right to do whatever she wishes with her $60000

just as I do with the $10 i have spare

maybe she thought it may be good advertisng to say Tony Abbotts daughter is a student here

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If the college owner wants free advertising in return for giving a scholarship the donation should have been declared 

[cherry*135]

Yes,freaki. That just smells of selecting a student for a scholarship for the spin off benefits of who she is related to.

The college approached her and chased her up to come in for a chat.

[boris1gary]

The Whitehouse Institute is a member of the Australian Council for Private Education and Training, which before the budget lobbied the government for extending commonwealth supported places beyond public universities.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/federal-politics/political-news/tony-abbott-says-he-was-not-lobbied-on-governm...

A Federal ICAC is a very good idea.

[cherry*135]

Not surprising.

Note the first time below:

"In the federal budget, the government announced that from 2016 it would for the first time extend direct government funding to private colleges."

[fourandsixpants]

[i-need-a-martini]

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@purplecarrot-top wrote:
Tony Abbott is supposedly an intelligent person. I would have thought he would have declared this "scholarship ". Just to make sure nothing like this happened.

I feel sorry for Frances, her father should have known what would happen if it came out.

It just makes it appear dodgy.

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Your first sentence pretty much sums it up.

[monman12]

This thread has surpassed even the Guardian in its tackiness and political opportunism, As for the AIMN author and her article she is one of the ranks of  "citizen journalists and bloggers" !

So far we we have Abbotts daughter provided with a scholarship in 2011 by the manager/owner of a private college. this scholarship was not required to be listed in the parliamentarians Pecuniary Interests Register and the scholarship ended in 2013, it is now 2014.

In an attempt to stir up a controversy the Guardian  has piously intimated that it is doing a public service (nonsense),  but I still am unaware as to what form the members here perceive the "interest" to be,  other than possibly self promotion of the private college by the owner because  of association with the Abbott name.

"pecuniary interest" is an interest that a person has in a matter because of a reasonable likelihood or expectation of appreciable financial gain or loss to the person or another person with whom the person is associated as provided in the section A person does not have a pecuniary interest in a matter if the interest is so remote or insignificant that it could not reasonably be regarded as likely to influence any decision the person might make in relation to the matter.

So what exactly do  the myopic consider the Register Pecuniary  Interest to be that required listing? ,  why are the  ALP parliamentarians somewhat absent and not howling in indignation.?

No federal ALP politicians, The Guardian, a B1G C&P, a flock of the usual pinks, no unbiased research (or any proper research ?),  oh gosh,  not an opportunist  left leaning indignation-fest?

"I feel sorry for Frances, her father should have known what would happen if it came out." What nonsense,  the never a Puplic Service politician was not ever required to list the scholarship for his daughter back in 2011, and if he had done so, the outraged bleating about  the owner/manager of a PRIVATE COLLEGE deciding what the PRIVATE COLLEGE would do with their PRIVATE  facilities/funds  would have been louder and more opportunist than those on display here.

Frances was the recipient of a $60k scholarship from the owner/manager of  a PRIVATE college  outside of politics which led to a degree, big deal. Gillard forked out $60 million of taxpayers money  to  Adelaide University and ended up with a professorship from it, now that is what I call a good Circus act !

nɥºɾ

[alexander*beetle]

So why if, as some are saying, she obtained the scholarship on merit, did none of the other students know about it. I would have thought it was human nature to share the excitement with others about your own talent. And why, now that the college has achieved approval to proceed with their Masters program, is FA the only person listed as a student of said program. 

I think many have said it before. It is not that she took up the scholarship, as that is the college's decision. It is that she was head hunted for it, it was kept secret from other staff and students, and the owner even lobbied TA at her graduation. Quite blatantly. He denied it had happened and claimed he did not recall but there were 400 people there on the night and many have now come forward to claim that the owner of the college told him that she was lobbying him in her speech. 

I don't think people are attacking the daughter. I think it comes across as an obvious case of conflict of interest considering the management involved in the college and their association with TA. 

[fourandsixpants]

Classmates express fury over Tony Abbott’s daughter Frances being awarded
$60,000 scholarship to Whitehouse Institute of Design :

http://www.news.com.au/national/classmates-express-fury-over-tony-abbotts-daughter-frances-being-awa...

some comments say it much better than I:

-Typical of Tony Abbott and his government. Lies and deceit to benefit themselves with no concern or respect for the low income population. It's a wonder he didn't bring in a new tax to help pay for it!!!

-Apparently the age of entitlement isn't over...

-Why am I so surprised. Politicians are in it for themselves - STUFF THE VOTERS. Shame Tony Abbott Shame - but you don't care do you!!

-I for one am glad we are cutting back and eliminating this 'Entitlement' expectation members of the public have. It's about time! Now with 20% less funding to universities and uni's being told to 'charge what they like' all of your kids will walk out of uni with a degree and $60-$100 000 worth of debt. Well...unless your dad is the leader of the Liberal Party and one of his major 'Donors' just happens to give you a complete full scholarship with $60 000 'on the sly' which no-one can get and no-one else knows about ... At least she didn't wear a $750 frock while smoking cigars and dancing at graduation right?

-The issue here is not Frances Abbott, nor even the college for granting the scholarship. It's that Tony Abbott doesn't appear to think there's anything alarming at all about someone in public office receiving large gifts. He obviously never got the message about avoiding conflict of interest but also the perception of conflict of interest.