AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR THE DEFENCE OF GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS - D.O.G.S.

PRESS RELEASE 126#

THE AGE CONTINUES ITS VICIOUS ATTACK ON PUBLIC EDUCATION  BY PROMOTING PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS

11 OCTOBER 2005

The Age, on October 10, 2005, p. 3 and in its Educational Supplement on Pages 6 and 7,  continued its ongoing and vicious attack on the concept of public education: namely a public education system which is

• public in purpose

• public in outcome

• public in access

• public in funding

• public in accountability

• public in control

• public in ownership 

The usual suspects were collected together. The DOGS were not surprised to discover that the Age had consulted their usual consultants who neither accept or uphold the above, 130 year old,  7 fold definition of public education.

Professor Brian Caldwell, the Education Foundation, and Andrew Blair a multi - committee sitter, are all quoted as promoting the privatization of public education through private/public partnerships which effectively undermines the concepts of

• public in funding

• public in accountability

• public in control and

• public in ownership

Unfortunately, if we are to believe the Age reports, the above has been joined by Brian Henderson, the Victorian Branch Secretary of the Australian Education Union. We have not heard of any denial written or verbal by Brian Henderson of the contents of the Age article referred to above.

We are not surprised by anything attributed to Brian Caldwell in this matter. He has a track record in relation to the destruction of the seven fold definition of public education.

However, public school supporters can only be shocked by the alleged association of the Australian Education Union Victorian Branch Secretary's Brian Henderson with support for private public partnerships.

The failure of the Age to provide any column space to criticism by known opponents of the public private partnerships indicates its usual and willful bias in the constant downgrading of public education in favour of the private sector.

 The account given by Brian Henderson as quoted by the Age is totally at odds with the material found on the Internet in relation to the savage criticism of public private partnerships in Health and Education fields in the UK by unions and community groups suffering from their inadequacies. The failure and failings and public private partnerships are legion in both the UK and Canada.

For Brian Henderson to react positively towards their introduction into the Victorian State Education system is nothing short of appalling.

IF BRIAN HENDERSON FAILS TO RETRACT HIS POSITION ON PPPS AS  REPORTED BY THE AGE THEN PUBLIC SCHOOL SUPPORTERS SHOULD STRONGLY OPPOSE HIS PLACEMENT ON ANY COMMITTEE DEALING WITH PUBLIC EDUCATION.

For information on the deleterious effects of public private partnerships in the UK and Canada we refer readers to the following :

www.teachers.org.uk/  ( do a search on this site for public private partnerships)  and  www.unison.org.uk/pfi/ ( this site deals directly with public private initiatives)

For Canada, refer to : Flawed Failed Abandoned  100 P3s  Canadian and International Evidence  March 2005

From the above document we quote:

" While P3 proponents claim that projects come in on time and in budget, the evidence does not bear out these assertions. Many projects are late and serious cost overruns are frequent. The bifurcation of management or ownership of public services entailed in these deals leads to serious conflicts of interest between corporations that seek to maximize profits and public services that seek to meet community needs and contain budgets, leading to costly legal disputes and quality issues. Moreover, in the negotiation of P3 deals, the public sector has not been able to achieve P3 proponents'  claims of value for money or risk transfer....

P3s have also increased inequality, boosting salaries for executives and remuneration for expensive consultants and lawyers while decreasing pay and working conditions and reducing access to services. Democratic control has been sacrificed to commercial secrecy and private for profit management. High costs have led to service cuts and diminished access. Long term commitment of large revenue streams to lease deals has an unmeasured impact on government flexibility and public policy decision making. .."

 A LATER NEWS RELEASE  WILL DEAL WITH CRITICISMS OF PUBLIC PRIVATE PARTNERSHIPS

For further discussion on these matters, listen to 3CR, 855 on the am dial

at

12.30 p.m. next Saturday.