BER – that other non-disaster

'This is the program that The Australian has been attacking for twelve months as a scandalous waste of money. The conclusions of the ANAO's performance review -when the auditors look at a program from top to bottom to see whether it has done what it was intended to do - fundamentally discredit a campaign that has formed a key part of News Ltd's war on the Government.'

That News Ltd – flailing away even back then!

And the other major purpose of the BER, that of staving off the destructive effects of the worst financial disaster for 80 years? You know, the GFC?

By all reports (other than in News Ltd, of course), this was also a great success.

The Taskforce and ANAO reports appear to have been almost effusive, as far as these reports ever are. Said the ANAO:

'Lead economic indicators, including construction approvals, show that the introduction of BER P21 contributed to a reversal in the decline in nonâ€residential construction activity that resulted from the global financial crisis.'

And, not only did it achieve the goal of reversing a building downturn, but also, according to the ANAO:

'Education industry stakeholders, including peak bodies, Education Authorities and a substantial majority of school principals have also been positive about the improvement in primary school facilities that will result from the program.'

This comes from the ANAO's performance review of the BER, a full audit meant to see whether the program did what it set out to do.

Did I mention that it did?

We didn't spiral out of control, unlike our European and US counterparts, and we got some useful brand-spanking new infrastructure out of it all.

Nobody suggests there was no waste. I might point out that no-one could honestly point to any major infrastructure project where there was no waste.

But it's worth pointing out that the Labor government's stimulus package, including the BER, caught the attention of Nobel Laureate, economist Joseph Stiglitz. He, by all accounts, became Labor's biggest fan.

The Labor government, Stiglitz said, '…actually did a fantastic job of saving your country from problems.'

Just saying. And a point worth considering on Saturday.