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

PRESS RELEASE 123#.

 23 SEPTEMBER 2005

APPOINTMENT OF SUSAN CRENNAN TO THE HIGH COURT

CONTINUED FAVOURITISM OF PRIVATE SCHOOL PRODUCTS

PUBLIC SCHOOL GRADUATES NEED NOT APPLY

The recent announcement that Susan Crennan had been nominated for a vacancy on the Australian High Court continues the deliberate favoritism of appointing private school graduates to the High Court. Not one editorial or article on the subject mentioned the failure of governments to appoint graduates from our public schools to such a position.

There is much talk about discrimination against women - and rightly so - but there has been no mention about discrimination against public school graduates.

Since 1980 Australian governments have appointed thirteen persons (13) to the High Court. Those who are graduates of the Roman Catholic school sector have received seven (7) of these appointments. Those who are graduates of non-Roman Catholic schools number four(4). Public school graduates number only two(2). These are D. Dawson ( 1982 appointed by the Liberal National Party) and M. Kirby ( 1996 appointed by the Labor Party ).

Graduates from the Roman Catholic school sector have been favoured both by the Liberal National Party and the Labor Party.

In the period since 1980, the Liberal National Party appointed eight persons (8) , one (1) from the public school sector, four (4)from the Roman Catholic sector and three (3) non Roman Catholic private school graduates, The Labor Party appointed five (5)persons. One (1)was from the public school sector and three (3)were from the  Roman Catholic school system, and one (1)was a non-Roman Catholic private school graduate.

Not surprisingly, the Liberal National Party have continued the favouritism shown in funding towards the private school sector and discrimination against public school sector into their appointments to the High Court. Since 1996 they have appointed five (5) persons to the High Court, three (3) non Roman Catholic private school graduates and two (2) Roman Catholic school graduates.

The two woman appointed to the High Court are private school graduates.

If the school percentage share of school population was applied there should have been appointed ten (10) public school graduates and not two. In actual fact, taking account of percentage share of school population, the non-Roman Catholic school system has been over-represented 8 times and the Roman Catholic School sector 2.5 times.

Public School graduates have fared worst of all in the appointment of Chief Justices. Since 1980, four Chief Justices have been appointed. Two of these are from the Roman Catholic school system and two from the non-Roman Catholic school system.

It is interesting to note that favouritism of Roman Catholic graduates in the appointment of High Court appointments is also reflected in recent appointments to the US Supreme Court.

 Professor Frank Brennan SJ from the Institute of Legal Studies at the Australian Catholic University, in a recent speech stated the following:

"Just as Kennedy was elected as the first Catholic President, so now, Roberts will be selected as the first Catholic Chief Justice on a court that now has close to a majority of Catholic members".

The following is a list of the thirteen Justices appointed to the High Court since 1980.

There should be a notice above the High Court portal

public school graduates need not apply

roman catholic and non-roman catholic graduates preferred

pLEASE NOTE THAT DOGS HAVE NOT MENTIONED THE FATE OF JUSTICE MURPHY IN THIS PRESS RELEASE , THE PROUD GRADUATE OF THE PUBLIC SCHOOL SYSTEM . nOR HAVE WE NOTED THE TREATMENT OF jUSTICE mICHAEL kIRBY, THE PROUD GRADUATE OF foRT sTREET hIGH SCHOOL BY hOWARD'S MAN, sENATOR hEFFERNAN - OF ST. JOSEPHS COLLEGE HUNTERS HILL FAME.

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

at

12.30 p.m. next Saturday.