School Computer - BYOD

LHunting4bargains on 27/01/2017 - 17:22
Last edited 28/01/2017 - 08:30 by 1 other user

My son's school have BYOD bring your own device.

I am stumped for best computer at reasonable cost! I'm wondering if anyone could give me some advice on best deal
The school has specified to get either a Mac laptop ( great but expensive!)

Or something that fits the below description:

Windows 10 pro
I3 or greater
Min 128gb storage
Min 4gb RAM
Compat with 802.11, a , g , and n wifi with WPA2 enterprise security
Camera & microphone built in
11-14" screen
6hrs min battery life
Very confusing indeed!
Is there any computer savvy Ozbargainers out there willing to help?

Thanks.

Year 7. Around $700-$1200 i was thinking

Computing

Comments

    • miicah on 30/01/2017 - 10:13
      +1

      Not sure why you're getting negged, OP's BYO requirements are not anything special.

      • altomic on 30/01/2017 - 11:52
        +6

        Probably because I didn't demand that the OP must buy a laptop with a dodecahedron core CPU, 27" screen, 64gb graphics card, 128gb ram, 20TB ssd with quad boot operating systems - windows 15, OSX 10.17, Unix, fortran.

        Or, people are morons,

        And i did post the link before OP added the requirements and the post was solely "need a BYOD for my kid"

  • mccaj09 on 27/01/2017 - 17:42

    What are you willing to spend? And what year is your son in?

  • Findo on 27/01/2017 - 17:43
    +8

    Lenovo Thinkpad T series/Dell Latitude/HP Elitebook

    • prinzw on 29/01/2017 - 12:08
      +3

      T serious is a little bit overkill…. X serious should be good enough…. and smaller and lighter….

      • Findo on 31/01/2017 - 02:40

        You shouldn't skimp on important purchases that need to last a few years. Had I gotten a lesser laptop than a T430 in 2013, I don't think it would've lasted as long as it has. I'm still using it after a SSD and ram upgrade

        • prinzw on 04/02/2017 - 10:01
          +1

          I have a second hand X61 since 2010 and i am still using that from time to time… ;-)

    • [Deactivated] on 31/01/2017 - 10:28

      This. Dell Latitude are the easiest to get cheap in Australia thanks to the Outlet. The only downside is that the newer T-series/Latitude all has non-removable battery now, so once they wear down the laptop isn't usable as a laptop anymore.

    • [Deactivated] on 27/01/2017 - 18:24
      +65

      Hi I'm working at Officeworks till Uni and am quite computer savvy in regards to hardware having elected to study Computing Science.

      You have a lot of learning to do, kiddo.

      • whorevath on 28/01/2017 - 18:16
        +7

        TIL I'm quite computer savvy in regards to hardware as I'm studying Computer Science.

        • SilentBob on 29/01/2017 - 11:18
          -1

          Hah yeah I laughed my ass off at that shit.

          I'm surprised he's so computer savy and missed the main benefit of having an ssd instead of a hdd in a laptop. (hint: not talking about speed)

        • MrGareth on 29/01/2017 - 11:45
          +3

          Though there are lots of reasons why you want an SSD in a laptop (increase in speed, increase in battery life, decrease in heat output)… that #1 reason for me is no moving parts to break! You can turn your laptop upside down, shake it around… and you aren't going to destroy the hard drive. Really really great for kids.

          (I used to repair laptops on the side… broken AC power jacks, laptop hinges and busted hard drives were the most common thing I'd see… oh and missing laptop keys. Why do kids like pulling them off???)

          EDIT - Whoops, saw you basically said the same thing further down this thread. So, I 100% agree with you.

        • Conka on 29/01/2017 - 12:08

          @SilentBob: Help us all out, Bob. What is the main benefit, in your opinion?

        • SilentBob on 29/01/2017 - 12:09

          @conka11:

          Scroll down a bit or read the comment above yours

        • Gronk on 30/01/2017 - 13:03

          TIL I'm quite computer savvy in regards to hardware as I'm studying Computer Science.

          Hey, whaddya know, me too!

      • spiffycashew on 29/01/2017 - 19:22
        +4

        Seriously? Levity put all that effort in to that comment and gets negged because people think they're more clever? Why not comment back what you think needed revising from her/his comment instead of putting them down? Some good points in there

        • spackbace on 29/01/2017 - 19:46
          +5

          How is it a helpful comment? OP has listed the requirements from the school, but Levity is listing his/her own requirements… Basically just repeating the original post.

          It's a comment that shows that the author didn't even read what was in the original post.

          A general summary would be:
          OP - school requires a minimum of X
          Levity - I study computer science and work at officeworks and I think you need a minimum of X

          See? Same same

      • adante on 29/01/2017 - 21:51

        I was wondering with a nick like 'Levity' if this was a really good troll. His other posts don't have anywhere that level of Dunning-Kruger - they're not brilliant but not exceptionally stupid either. Not sure what to make of that.

    • Ahbal on 28/01/2017 - 12:57
      +2

      For school work he won't need more than an i3. An i7 is only every necessary for high end gaming in CPU intensive titles or video rendering/editing etc. i5. Is a middle ground, however an unnecessary spend for school work.

      Ram, no more than 4gb is needed.

      SSD I don't think is necessary, for school work I would prefer storage space at value price rather than startup speed at low storage value.

      OP, I think you'd be able to find a suitable laptop in the $500 range.

      • decr on 28/01/2017 - 13:29
        +13

        "SSD I don't think is necessary"

        Tell that to the guy next to you with a 2k mac and explain why your windows box takes 5 mins to boot. No, I'm not saying buy a mac but SSDs are a must as it makes a world of a difference. 128gb is plenty, external hdd for the rest if required.

        • decr on 28/01/2017 - 19:43
          +13

          @Ahbal: wow sorry if I touched a nerve there, but anything with spinners as a boot drive is unacceptable imho in this day and age. SSDs are cheap enough and definitely worth it in everyday use and not just boot times.

        • droptester on 28/01/2017 - 21:02

          @decr:

          I completely agree, even if it is a school computer, eventually you're going to find uses beyond school. An SSD is definitely worth it.

          @Ahbal
          'A laptop is purely for convenience'
          An SSD makes the experience much more convenient, not to mention, it's better on battery life.

        • JustASmoothSkin on 28/01/2017 - 21:17

          @Ahbal:

          SSD are generally the way to go, they use less power and considering the laptop will be thrown in a bag and dragged around school it will last longer then the disks in a hard drive. Even at 128 Gb storage it is more then enough for word documents, powerpoints and photos. anymore and generally the laptop will be being used for stuff that isn't what a school laptop should be used for, IE gaming and videos. 4 gb is minimum for a computer running windows 10, it will work fine and not really cause to many lock ups with the ssd but I personally would strive for 8 Gb of ram to prevent firefox or chrome locking up. Newer I3 are pretty good, Newer I5 are great but I don't see a need for a I7 in a laptop that will not be doing anything to intensive.

        • SilentBob on 29/01/2017 - 11:28
          +2

          @Ahbal:

          I'm just going to to ahead and tell you how wrong you are on your opinion that an ssd is not needed in a laptop for school work and request that you stop giving out any advice related to the subject in the future.

          As simple as possible, ssd = no moving parts . Laptop being moved around multiple times daily in a school is just asking for hdd failure at any moment. Eliminate all those risks by replacing with an ssd .

          Better performance and better reliability and the cost isn't even that out of the question these days.

          Stop thinking about value and start thinking about practicality.

    • droptester on 28/01/2017 - 21:18

      'they want you to Dual Boot Windows and Mac on the same computer'

      I dont think any school would need to dual boot or recommend it. Beyond the technical needs of most classes.

      • no not me on 31/01/2017 - 06:26

        Dual booting with Bootcamp is like three clicks. Open BootCamp Assistant, find the ISO, click install. Wait for BootCamp drivers to download, allow MacBook to reboot, it'll boot into Windows and finish off everything (no interaction required since El Capitan). You will of course need to set user name, password and Windows settings. But there's no drama of partitioning, BCD editing, EFI partition mounting and altering, volume blessing, etc. It's very straight forward.

        • droptester on 31/01/2017 - 16:08

          But then the school will need to be able to provide support to the teachers and students over two different operating systems. Considering there will be few benefits in a school environment, however simple it is, I wouldn't expect the school to recommend it.

    • FW190 on 29/01/2017 - 14:38

      look kid, if you think computer science is about hardware and computers, you will be in for a big surprise

      my suggestion is to do some research about your degree before uni starts (take it from a guy who has been there and done that :))

      • decr on 29/01/2017 - 19:26

        Yeah, I learned that lesson 10 years ago. What a waste of time. Sure it's a good degree, but just wasn't for me. In ICT experience matters more than academic qualifications anyway so I don't feel too bad with 15+ years under my belt.

        • FW190 on 29/01/2017 - 20:07

          yeah I hated CS too, transferred to another degree first chance I got, but still bombed out of uni eventually……….

          anyway Levity, if you didn't studied and aced top level math back in high school, start hitting the books now, the maths required in CS, while most will be a continuation of what you had learnt in highschool, it will be much more complex (unless a CS degree means completely different thing these days)

        • no not me on 31/01/2017 - 06:28

          @FW190: Not all CS degrees are heavy in Maths these days. What's alarming is that many Game Development/Design degrees have almost no maths at all, instead opting for stuff like creative writing. I don't know how that'll play out in the job field. Basic linear algebra (vectors) and trigonometry are going to be extensively used in game development.

        • FW190 on 31/01/2017 - 13:42

          @no not me:

          lol maybe I should go back to uni and finish my CS degree then :)

    • fastnbulbous on 29/01/2017 - 18:53

      Is it called Computing Science now?

    • Jalif on 29/01/2017 - 23:14

      If a Mac is an option, the school will be set up Mac friendly, it is very unlikely they want you to dual boot.

      Talk to the school and find out the teacher's preferred ecosystem. It's probably apple.

      You must get an SSD model, or you will not get the true 6 hour battery life.

      This is essential as the school may not have enough power points to run all laptops on AC.

      I would go with either a Mac air, or spend a bit and get a Microsoft surface that meets the spec.

    • spackbace on 27/01/2017 - 18:42
      +11

      You realise that the OP doesn't need an education on the specs, they're asking for specific models… So far all I've seen you suggest is a Lenovo (no specific model), and bagging the Dell.

      I hope you sell better in-store than you do on a forum.

      • spiffycashew on 29/01/2017 - 19:25

        Its so clear Levity is trying to be helpful, and they've typed up a detailed (albeit misguided) response, are you really so petty as to put them down for a few upvotes? Did it make you feel good inside?

        • spackbace on 29/01/2017 - 19:40

          It's clear that they're not actually answering the OPs question of specific laptop models. So how have they in any way been helpful?

          But yes, every comment I write is purely for votes… Or at least it is in your tiny world maybe.

    • Gershom on 28/01/2017 - 12:11
      +11

      The blind leading the blind.

    • Daabido on 30/01/2017 - 00:40
      +1

      Don't sell the steak. Sell the sizzle!

  • [Deactivated] on 27/01/2017 - 17:57
    +2

    All you need to do is tell me your budget. I dunno why people leave this out. That's all that is needed.
    I would say buy a dell latitude 14 (screen size) 7000 or latitude 12 (screen size) 7000 from the dell outlet. Ticks all the boxes.

    Price: $700-$1200

    • 00 on 31/01/2017 - 01:17

      Dell Outlet is an excellent suggestion.

  • PVA on 27/01/2017 - 17:58
    +4

    I have answered questions like this before - it is all based on our son who just finished year 12.

    I am not a fan, personally, of Apple goods but my son had a mac book Air 13inch, and thats what I would recommend.
    he had it the last 4 years of high school.
    Now they may not be the highest spec laptops around and price not cheap but what it was great at was size, battery life and toughness. I am positive what my son put that air through, a regular windows laptop would not survive. It was dropped many times and even though the corners got dented, it still kept working.
    Battery life is important as they cant charge at school, the Air lasted a full day.

    The plug pack charger failed 2 months before the end of year 12 so I had to buy another one but he's still using it, and I guess still will for another year or more.
    It was the base model 13inch (11inch is too small) and 128GB SSD storage - plenty for school (most of my sons was music anyway :) )

    size is important too, need something small and lightweight.

    • rambutann on 27/01/2017 - 19:06
      +1

      This morning my macbook air fell off a couch and broke a plate that was on the floor. Laptops fine.

      I'd recommend the macbook air too but I can understand that the price is a bit much.. I wouldn't pay rrp for one ever.. But if you could get one just a few hundred cheaper then that'd be the way to go. Otherwise I'd go a lenovo.

      • pennae on 29/01/2017 - 00:43

        Agreed. iMovie and GarageBand are also excellent for creative work. Startup and wake up time is important in high school because kids move from class to class and waiting for laptops to get going is a pain. Battery life is also excellent.

        • PVA on 29/01/2017 - 14:21

          Start up, wake up times are the same on win10. Apples no faster there. But as I wrote above I think an air is a perfect school laptop for build and battery life.

        • pennae on 29/01/2017 - 18:56
          +2

          I teach at a school with a "byod if you have one" policy with no tech support provided to students for their own devices. The students with macs rarely have problems, and if they do, they're usually password related. The others have so many different problems that it's difficult to troubleshoot. They end up leaving their laptops at home.

          I'm also always impressed by the quality of work they produce with iMovie. Because it's so straight forward to use they can spend their time on the content rather than learning software in's and out's.

    • centrelink on 29/01/2017 - 10:07

      Drop my 2010 pro on a daily basis and still use it as the basis of my business operation

      • butter on 29/01/2017 - 10:49
        +2

        Daily? Take it easy bro.

  • scrimshaw on 27/01/2017 - 18:00
    +5

    I also second the Dell Latitude 14" or 12" from the Dell Outlet. This is the most economical way of getting a semi-rugged laptop that comes with Win 10 Pro.

    Pay particular attention to the battery life, first and foremost. You'll want to pick a device that can provide at least 5+ hours of usage, since schools do not provide kids with a power point at their desks.

    on the other end of the spectrum is the Inspiron 11 3000 series. They are $319 dollars from the ebay sale previously, and they actually meet BYOD requirements. 9 hour battery life, portable size of 11.6 inches, 128Gb SSD drive and decent enough build quality — they aren't super sturdy but for the price, is acceptable. The only thing you have to worry about is the edition of Windows… it comes with Home edition, so you'll need to fork out for an upgrade. The school's IT dept can advise you how to get one with education discounts.

    They don't run Core i3 but a Pentium N3710 with 4 physical cores, which are fast enough for years 7 till year 10.

    • decr on 28/01/2017 - 13:38
      +1

      I haven't looked at the specs but the 11 Inspiron sounds awesome for the price. Sure it's fun to have a bigger screen but it gets old really quick when you have to lug it around all day. This is a really good (budget) option by the sound of it.

    • MrGareth on 29/01/2017 - 11:32
      +1

      I have an Inspiron 11 3000 series at home, the "top spec" one that regularly goes on sale for $319. 11" screen, 4Gb RAM, 128GB SSD, long battery life and the N3710 CPU. That's a slow quad-core running at 1.6Ghz but it turbo boosts to around 2.5Ghz. It's slower than an i3 but still handles web browsing and Office just fine. They're also pretty small and light. I reckon one of those with the upgrade to W10 Pro (if it's truly needed) would be a great laptop for school use, as long as you purchase it during the $319 sale that pops up every few months. :)

      I'm curious that the heck students need anything more powerful for. All I needed a computer for in school was for MS Office. It was only when I was doing engineering at uni that I needed something more decent to run Mathlab, 3D CAD software and stuff like that.

      • Chris T on 29/01/2017 - 15:53

        Agreed. I bought one last year as a BYOD laptop for my son in grade 10. It has been perfectly adequate for this and he's now using it for grade 11. The catch is that to get it at this price you need to wait for one of the regular sales, and then delivery takes several weeks.

    • [Deactivated] on 27/01/2017 - 18:12
      +13

      they have no OS and warranty and support means it will be sent back to Malaysian factory

      yawn
      More misinformation.

      ALL Dell outlet PCs (refurbished and As New) come with an operating system, sometimes with windows 7 and windows 10 keys. All come with 1 year warranty. If there's a fault, you can send it back to Dell Australia or have a technician come out to fix it.
      Warranty can be extended up to 2 or 3 years for an extra amount.

      I have bought over 20 laptops from the dell outlet.

      • TailsK on 29/01/2017 - 08:51

        I don't think you can extend the warranty on outlet products. At least this was the case when I enquired about extending a monitor warranty from the outlet.

        • [Deactivated] on 29/01/2017 - 10:46
          +1

          You can. Your monitor was probable refurbished

        • butter on 29/01/2017 - 10:51

          @fredz:

          Can confirm as well. Buy it from the outlet then call up and extend.

    • xcal on 29/01/2017 - 08:21

      not sure if trolling or not.

    • PVA on 29/01/2017 - 14:23

      That's not true levity. I have bought refurb from dell before, os is included ( when they say no os they mean no install disks)

  • [Deactivated] on 27/01/2017 - 18:14
    +3

    Latitudes are used in the corporate world and in government. They are more than enough for some little kids learning how to use a search engine

    • [Deactivated] on 27/01/2017 - 18:17
      +5

      Didn't I just say I bought 20+ (lost count) laptops from the dell outlet.

      No OS media means no physical CDs or USBs with the OS are included, because the dell latitude does not have a CD drive. USB flash drives with the ISO on it can be made by anyone. Microsoft operating systems can be downloaded from the Microsoft website or their techbench website.

      Stop randomly posting in the thread. Reply to my comment.

    • [Deactivated] on 27/01/2017 - 18:20
      +1

      Who cares? You use other people's junk at work, at the library or in schools. Why are you being so precious?

      That's why Dell offers 'As New' products, which have not been touched or have been opened and returned within a few days. Sometimes they're just returned orders from businesses who order too many.

      • airzone on 27/01/2017 - 20:06

        Stop feeding the trolls to-be-professionals.

    • Baebs on 27/01/2017 - 21:32
      +5

      Learn to properly reply or get out of these forums.

    • No ONE on 28/01/2017 - 13:06
      +8

      For f**k sack, do you even know how to use a reply option. You're making a mess in this thread.

      • IceCreamBandit on 28/01/2017 - 18:20
        +4

        Don't be mean. According to this he's only savvy with computer hardware ;)

        • MrGareth on 29/01/2017 - 11:35
          +3

          Maybe they'll teach him how to use an internet forum when he does his computer science degree. ;)

        • frewer on 29/01/2017 - 16:02

          Im literally ROFL

  • Sage on 27/01/2017 - 18:20

    How can people possibly recommend a $3,000 laptop!? The Dell Latitude recommended by multiple people above is way too expensive.
    Computers don't need much power for document processing.
    The specs requested are basically the minimum you can even buy.

    Just get a sub $1,000 Lenovo.

    No point of a getting a top of the line device.
    My main point of advice would be to be careful of which brand you choose, some are lousy and others reliable.

    • [Deactivated] on 27/01/2017 - 18:21
      +2

      That's why you buy from the dell outlet. $700-$1500 are the prices for these laptops in refurbished or as new condition.

    • [Deactivated] on 31/01/2017 - 22:37

      3000 plus is the jacked up Australian price. Realistically brand new ones are on the Dell Outlet all the time for sub 1 grand. I picked up a Latitude 14 7000 6300u/8gb/512gb SSD AS NEW model for $950 a month ago, and it was cheaper the day before and after

  • shrek4 on 27/01/2017 - 20:07
    +1

    Many students who BYO at our school use Microsoft Surface Pro. They are excellent for students.

    There is a student discount + cash rewards too.

    https://www.microsoftstore.com/store/msaus/en_AU/cat/Student…

    • airzone on 27/01/2017 - 20:58

      We used to give these to our execs at the last company I worked for. They did all right.

  • Baebs on 27/01/2017 - 21:25

    "Search deals and forum topics"

  • blah88 on 27/01/2017 - 22:16
    +1

    13.3" HP Probook 430 G3 T3V91PA $899.00

    http://www.onlinecomputer.com.au/product_info.php?products_i…

    HD anti-glare touch screen (1366 x 768)
    Core i5 6200U (2.3GHz~2.8GHz)
    4GB RAM / 128 GB M.2 SATA TLC SSD
    Wireless AC / Bluetooth v4.2
    2x USB3.0 / 1x USB2.0 / HDMI
    Windows 10 Pro 64bit

  • Richardc on 28/01/2017 - 00:01
    +1

    school want windows 10 PRO?

    • scrimshaw on 28/01/2017 - 00:32
      +2

      you need pro version otherwise cannot join Windows Domain and the machine must included within the organization's Windows domain to effectively use the software licenses that the school provides and also access the stuff on the school's servers.

      • st33p on 28/01/2017 - 01:43
        +1

        I would suggest check with the school, as Windows 10 Pro may not be needed.
        Or, just buy the Home version and buy the upgrade if needed.
        If this is for public school, no domain join is needed, as they use Office 365 for software licensing.

        • technowiz11 on 28/01/2017 - 09:47
          +1

          if you are in NSW you can get the Pro version for free, not sure about the other states

        • hazzad on 28/01/2017 - 09:48
          +1

          Our kids goes to a public school and their laptop is joined to a domain. It is under lease agreement with school though as they don't allow byod. The pro license would most definitely be due to requiring to join domain. Biggest issue when schools configure these devices(when leased like ours at least) is they don't give you local admin rights. Kinda sucks when you are paying for the devices.I do understand they don't want you logging in as an admin and messing with the machine but kind of annoying either way.

          Also oour school went down the route of the Acer switch 11" with core i3 cpu. Seems decent enough so far.

        • stealthpaw on 28/01/2017 - 16:55

          This is not true, on paper and officially all public schools are required to follow the same policies however the reality is most schools do not.
          Domain joining is still the most popular way of device management so most schools will require 10 pro.

          That being said, OP needs to discuss these things with the school as they are the ones in charge.

      • ian895 on 31/01/2017 - 11:30

        It's unlikely the device will be joined to the domain in a BYOD environment.

        If it will be, the school should have software assurance/enterprise licensing allowing the machine running Windows 10 10240 and above to upgrade the SKU to Pro, allowing enrolment into an MDM solution to deploy software, apply restrictions etc.

        Once the student leaves, the device is unenrolled from the MDM software, removing any software deployed to it, and removing any "corporate" (As microsoft like to put it) data off the machine, leaving any personal data behind.

        That's the theory anyway…

  • egr7 on 28/01/2017 - 09:52
    +2

    I would recommend you check out this Asus Zenbook sold by Centralfields

    http://www.cfonline.com.au/index.php?route=product/product&p…

    They are ultraportable, very fast, have great screens and are a steal at $789.

    I have just purchased 2 of these Zenbooks for my secondary school children and am extremely happy with them. Purchase online and delivery is next day if you are in Melbourne.

    Hope this helps.

    • Hahuh on 28/01/2017 - 16:53
      +1

      can i ask the emphasis of byod devices for schools these days? I graduated high school in 09 and during that time was never required to bring in a device. We went to the library or a computer lab if we require work to be done on a system. Do kids don't write anymore? I can't imagine why they would need a constant computer with them. Or is it a cost saving thing for the schools?

    • spackbace on 28/01/2017 - 12:25
      -4

      Who do you think would foot the bill for them…?

        • spackbace on 28/01/2017 - 12:50
          -6

          100% agreed ;)

        • [Deactivated] on 28/01/2017 - 13:53
          +4

          Insulation.

          The main issue was not at a government level but at a lower level to control the system. Too many idiots did dangerous corner cutting that resaulted in the death of workers, but then again in the construction industry there is a death occouring almost weekly in australia and no one bats an eye lid over that.

          Fire to the house.

          Would have put australia on the map with one of the best networks for all australians and you are complaining? Even you dont use the nbn at least understand that in todays world we move forward by technology and hindering said technology put you back years.

          Million dollar unwated school halls.

          Telll me which school was forced into having a hall built? And the proof.
          Wife school was fighting an uphill battle fo a hall that fits all the kids in one hit and no chance in hell it was going to ever happen.
          This program saw it through, maybe slightly more expensive but got everything they needed.

          The one issue i had was the laptop for everyone, it was a program that could have been great but unfortunately they went the way of already made systems which if the created their own like a raspberry pi then it could have gone a long way and the system could have been easily manageable but thats how the cookie crumbles.

          Im not sure why you attack the labor party but i can say the libs and not even better and already we have seen 2 nsw premiers fall on their own sword and 1 member retire on lets face milking the system.

        • Hahuh on 28/01/2017 - 16:59

          At least labour gives you something, unlike the liberals. No, they just know how to handout problems

        • Gershom on 30/01/2017 - 01:03
          -1

          @Hotkolbas:

          Fire to the house.

          They certainly managed that.

        • klaw81 on 01/02/2017 - 17:38

          @Hotkolbas: Well said sir.

          I was deeply involved with implementing the BER program with about 15 schools in my local area. Every single one of them was very excited to be getting new facilities suited to their specific needs.

          I can also assure you that the way money was spent in the BER program was very tightly controlled and there was very little wriggle room in what the funding could purchase. There was a very high degree of oversight and auditing, and even expenditures of ~$100 were queried in some of my projects. If there was wide-spread rorting of the system, it would have required the collusion of several levels of management, rather than being the fault of the funding framework.

          As for the NBN, it's becoming pretty clear now that the Coalition have taken a program that was just starting to iron out the wrinkles of a project of unprecedented scale and really get the rollout happening when Abbott and Turnbull arrived on the scene to tear it to shreds. Under their leadership the whole concept is a pale shadow of the original intent, with costs spiralling out of control and the quality and the longevity of the network in very serious doubt. The only parts of the NBN that are working well are the wireless and satellite segments that Labor designed, and which Turnbull decried as being enormously wasteful and unnecessary at the time, but doesn't hesitate to claim as his own doing now.

          History will undoubtedly show that the Coalition's gutting of the NBN was once of the greatest acts of political bastardry in recent history, and we'll all be the poorer for their mismanagement and lack of vision.

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