<%@ Master language="C#" %> RUDD AND GILLARD CONTINUE HOWARD'S TOXIC LEGACY: TECHNICAL EDUCATION GOES SECTARIAN AND PRIVATE
 
 

AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL

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

PRESS RELEASE 273#.

14 NOVEMBER  2008  

TECHNICAL EDUCATION GOES SECTARIAN AND PRIVATE

RUDD AND GILLARD CONTINUE THE HOWARD TOXIC LEGACY

 

Historically Australia has provided secondary technical education as part of the public education system. Rarely did the private school sector enter this area of education. There were three reasons for this. One was the expensive nature of technical education; the second was that tradesmen were generally consider of a lesser class than academic education. Sir Robert Gordon Menzies for example, expressed the view that public education was for 'hewers of wood and carriers of water''. Private education was for  'Christian gentlemen' and the upper classes.

The third and most important reason for State provision of technical training was that the State did not wish to divide tradesman on religious grounds. After all, it was important that those who were so essential to the economic well being of the society co-operated in the hewing of wood, carrying of water and building of essential infrastructure. 

The sectarian division of young people training to be tradesman by religious enterprises running technical colleges/trade centres extends  to this essential area of vocational training the social and economic irrationality of our current funding of religious and class divisions in our primary and secondary education.

What has changed? Tradesmen are now in short supply with and have substantial incomes. 

This new scheme funding religious trade centres and technical colleges only arises out of the gross entanglement of religion with the Australian State via State Aid. It ranks in stupidity beyond even the 'corporate welfare' currently offered the bottomless pit of ABC Learning enterprises. After all, that was what State Aid was in the very beginning. It was and is 'corporate welfare' doled out in ever increasing billions to the failed religious enterprises. 

DOGS illustrate the intrusion of religion into trade education with the following information provided by the State School Teachers Union of Western Australia. In a Media Report dated 29 October 2008, entitled Australian Technical Colleges Gifted to Private Interests:

In the context of a review of Australian Technical Colleges  earlier this year,  Julia Gillard announced that it was the governments intention “:to integrate ATCs into the broader education effort.”

To date (28 October 2008) five announcements have been made by the Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, concerning the future of specific ATCs. All five ATCs have been gifted to private school interests.

The five colleges listed below were all covered in the announcement by Gillard.

  • Australian Technical College - Port Macquarie – gifted to Catholic system. The College will be known as the Newman Senior Technical College and will continue to be owned and operated by the Trustees of the Roman Catholic Church for the Diocese of Lismore. The Diocese will underwrite future operating costs for the College.

  • Australian Technical College - Northern Adelaide – gifted to Catholic system. Northern Adelaide will become a Catholic systemic senior secondary college owned and operated by the Catholic Archdiocese of Adelaide.

  • Australian Technical College– Western Sydney – gifted to the Sydney Anglican Schools Corporation. The College will be operated by the Sydney Anglican Schools Corporation and will continue to work in strong partnership with industry. Enrolments for the College will be open to all interested students in the Greater Western Sydney region. 

  • Australian Technical College – Hunter – will operate as a an non-government senior high school and Registered Training Organisation run by the Hunter Valley Training Company and the Maitland/Newcastle Diocesan Catholic Schools Office.

  • Australian Technical College  – North Brisbane - will remain a non-government independent school, Registered Training Organisation (RTO) and Supervising Registered Training Organisation know as the Australian Trade College – North Brisbane Ltd.

DOGS agree with AEU Federal President Angelo Gavrielatos said, “Recent global events show how dangerous it is to hand crucial parts of the economy like education and training over to an uncontrolled market."

DOGS feel free to go further . They are prepared to call sectarian education sectarian, divisive, economically irresponsible and stupid.

 

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AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR THE DEFENCE OF GOVERNMENT  SCHOOLS

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Last modified:Thursday, 13 November 2008