From the ABC

Nelson too chicken to face us, say students

Federal Education Minister Brendan Nelson has pulled out of a planned speech at the University of Sydney, with protesters accusing him of being too afraid to come to the campus.

Dr Nelson was due to deliver a report on education standards to a conference this morning.

Small groups of determined anti-voluntary student unionism (VSU) protesters blocked the entrances to the building and lecture theatre where Dr Nelson was due to speak.

The protesters chanted that Dr Nelson would not be allowed on campus and slogans against voluntary student unionism.

Dr Nelson says the protesters prevented the appearance from going ahead.

"The next time you hear people in universities saying they need more money, the average truck driver, shop assistant, plumber or gas fitter in Australia, just have a look at the television footage as to where your hard-earned taxes are going," he said.

From Gus
Yeah... yeah, yeah...

From the ABC

Nelson weighs scrapping helicopter fleet
Defence Minister Brendan Nelson says he will consider taking legal action against the contractors responsible for the grounded Seasprite helicopter fleet.

The Federal Government is considering scrapping the fleet of 10 helicopters because of software problems.

Dr Nelson says there are three options for the Navy's Seasprite fleet - persist, modify them, or scrap them altogether.

"[For] almost a decade we have had a succession of let-downs by contractors. This is a project we would never go into in 2006," he said.

Dr Nelson has grounded the fleet.

Opposition Leader Kim Beazley says he hopes the money was not wasted.

"When you've spent a billion dollars, you don't want it to go down the gurgler do you," he said.

"When you've spent a billion dollars, you ought to be able to think that you'll get it right at some point in time.

"The Seasprite helicopter is operating now with the Kiwi armed forces, it has been doing so for some considerable time, but we weren't able to get our upgrade right."

The helicopter project is now five years overdue, and Dr Nelson says it is overly ambitious to fit new technology into an old aircraft.

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Gus asks:
So why did we try to "fit new tech into old aircrafts?" Save money? Nah... Just to be ambitious!... and why not blame contractors while you're at it?... and avoid responsibility for the cock ups?... Ten bloody years of it? Fantastic illuminations on the previous tenant, our glorious ambassador to the UN? So Brendan Nelson, the former minister for lab-rats and holes in the head, now the Minister for Little Wars is dealing with things that don't work while our deflating Beazley, of the not so-opposing not-imposing opposition, squeaks he hopes the money was not wasted... Of course it was wasted!