Parent Power: Demanding Public Schools for Inner Melbourne

Press Release 657

For decades, it was assumed that people, couples and children would not live in inner Melbourne. Schools would no longer be necessary. They closed most of the schools inherited from previous generations. Short-sighted, crazy Kennett led the charge, and in the case of Richmond secondary college, local parents and teachers (not the union and certainly not Trades Hall) saved the school.

Public Schools Beware Hedge Funds and the Charter School Movement

Press Release 656

International Capital - Hedge Funds are wandering the world for a safe profit making haven. Public school systems are fair game. In the USA they have invented the Charter School movement.

Public school supporters in Australia and especially members of public school Councils in Australia should beware hedge funds bearing gifts.

Birmingham and Turnbull and looking to the UK and America for models of privatisation.

The Victorian Education Budget: A Moveable Feast of Figures

Press Release 654

DOGS, as usual, discover that Government Budget papers are designed to obfuscate rather than inform taxpaying citizens.
How much is Public Education worth to the Victorian government – really?

The Age, April 27 claims that the 2016 Victorian Government funding budget provides $1.1 billion for education. The Australian April 28 mentions $924 million and the Treasurer at https://www.budget.vic.gov.au/priority/education-state says :
$747 million from the start of the 2016 year .

Malcolm Turnbull wishes to only Fund Private Education so Funding of Public Education has just become a key election issue.

Press Release 651

Funding of Public Education, as opposed to private sectarian education has just become a key election issue.

Last week Mr Turnbull said that, if state governments were given a share of income tax revenue, the federal government could withdraw from funding public schools, while continuing to fund non-government schools.

His thought bubble was pricked by State Governments at COAG. The Labor Party and the electorate reacted. Opinion polls turned against the Coalition.

The Federation has been under fiscal strain and unbalanced since the Second World War when income tax was taken from the States by the federal government. But the States resisted Turnbull’s temptation.

Why?

The End of Public Education: The Corporate Reform Agenda to Privatise Education: David Hursh

Press Release 650

Supporters of public education in Australia are not alone in their concern that mega-rich oligarchs and religious establishments are engaged in an all-out assault on one of our most basic democratic institutions. The problem has been recently analysed by David W. Hursh in a recently published book.

David Hursh’s new book ‘The End of Public Education: The Corporate Reform Agenda to Privatize Education, Routledge, 2016, 123 pp., $49.95.

is a devastating, spot-on, detailed, documented survey of the crescendoing assault on public education, teachers and teacher unions.

Victorian Catholic Education Commission : A Self-Regulated System Favouring High SES Schools in Funding Allocations

Press Release 649

s noted in Press Release 647, at http://www.adogs.info/press/state-auditor-general-finally-blows-whistle-... a new report by the Victorian Auditor-General shows that Catholic education authorities and other private schools are failing to properly account for the use of taxpayer funding. It found that there is little evidence that private schools are using their government funding for their intended purpose. Nor is there evidence that they are achieving intended outcomes.

Nationally, Catholic schools receive at least $2 billion from taxpayers in direct grants alone. In 2013, 72% of the gross income of Catholic schools was provided by the Commonwealth and state governments in direct grants alone. In Victoria it was 71%.

If there is not even basic accountability for this level of public funding, and, if, as the Auditor General has found, the Catholic authorities are diverting public moneys given to disadvantaged pupils to wealthy schools, something is wrong with the State of Victoria – and Australia at large. We are dealing with high levels of lack of transparency and possible corruption. Yet the Chief Administrator, of the Victorian Catholic Education Commission, Stephen Elder, believes that the church can get away with it if he bad-mouths the Auditor General and his office.