The 1872 Secular provision was a great idea because SUCH A PROVISION:

• Assists social cohesion: A major reason for the retention of a secular provision was stated by the U.S. Supreme Court Justice Frankfurter in the McCallum Case in 1948 as follows: " Public Education  is ..."Designed to serve as perhaps the most powerful agency for promoting cohesion among a heterogeneous democratic people, the public school must keep scrupulously free from entanglement in the strife of sects...The public school is at once the symbol of our democracy and the most pervasive means for promoting our common destiny. In no activity of the State is it more vital to keep out divisive forces than in its schools."

• IS A REFUSAL TO SUPPORT RELIGIOUS DIVISION within the public (State) school system. A Protestant School could be just the start. The State could be called upon to support all the different types of schools - Moslem, Greek Orthodox, Hare Krishna within a Public (State) system.

• REDUCES THE PRESSURE ON THE STATE TO SUPPORT SOCIAL DIVISION  within the Public (State) system. If the State were to support religious, sectional interests, then why should not they support other sectional interests be they based on colour, culture, class or ethnicity.

• IS GOOD ECONOMIC SENSE. It is cheaper to have one type of school than support a multitude of different type of schools, e.g. increased cost of transportation.

• LESSENS THE CHANCES OF WEAKENING THE FIGHTING STRENGTH OF PUBLIC SCHOOLS It lessens the possibility of energy being spent in religious disputes, in schools and between schools. This allows more energy to be spent on defending the Public School System.

• LESSENS THE DANGER OF FIFTH COLUMNISTS. It reduces the chances of allies of Church Schools being caught up and involved in the Public Education enterprise.

• LESSENS RELIGIOUS DISCRIMINATION .It assists in treating all religions fairly by not discriminating between those who pass on their religion in Day or Sunday Schools.

• LESSENS INEQUALITIES by assisting the State to treat small and large religious denominations equally.

• REDUCES THE PRESSURE OF THE STATE TO SUPPORT MORE AND MORE RELIGION

The above is  based on  an extract from a full page DOGS Advertisement in the Canberra Times on November 4, 1983, p. 11. The effects of State Aid to private schools and the more recent eroding of the secular provision of the 2006 Victorian Education Act has proved the truth of the above claims.

FOR THE SAKE OF THE WELL BEING OF PUBLIC EDUCATION AND SOCIAL HARMONY ,

STATE SCHOOL SUPPORTERS DEMAND THAT THE 1872 SECULARITY PROVISION BE RESTORED.

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