Dave Gilmore, Mullumbimby
Writing grant applications for Brunswick Heads Marine Rescue Unit for much of the past decade has made me acutely aware of the stringent conditions imposed by granting authorities.
Properly responsible granting bodies should, and do, require explicit, clear, detailed information about any project BEFORE granting public moneys.
Such information would be: the nature and need for the project; who benefits; the identity and qualifications of the management personnel; measurement of successes or failures in the project’s development and progress reporting; but, most importantly, a detailed, explicit budget and timeframe.
Vague, generalised statements such as ‘the money will be used to upgrade our communication equipment’ or ‘the grant will be used to repair salt-air damage to the radio tower’ would render an application worthy of the bin. It answers none of the detail required to justify public funding.
I am completely astonished to read that our federal government has granted $442 million to the Barrier Reef Foundation in what seems a total vacuum of information about how it will be used. Not only astonishment gets me; I am simply disgusted.
Responsible government?
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
