Scotch College Melbourne this year lodged its 2013 financial return. It showed, among the school's revenue for the year of $70.9 million, a payment for $5.4 million as "reimbursement following a Supreme Court action". The payment helped Scotch record a net surplus of $11.5 million.
Scotch College Melbourne this year lodged its 2013 financial return. It showed, among the school's revenue for the year of $70.9 million, a payment for $5.4 million as "reimbursement following a Supreme Court action". The payment helped Scotch record a net surplus of $11.5 million.
Privatisation of education in the Anglo-American world – which Australia follows slavishly - has been tried and found wanting. It has been rejected, not only by Australian academics, but by writers of a United Nations Report presented last week to the United Nations General Assembly. Meanwhile, contracting education services to private providers has encouraged what can only be described as corruption and profit for the boys – and girls at the highest level.
Gough Whitlam has been lauded for introducing ‘fairness’ into Australian education. And he certainly opened up free tertiary education. But he gave in to pressure groups who were against free, secular and universal public education.
‘Fairness’in primary and secondary education is code for saying that Whitlam poured public funds into private, mainly Catholic schools on the basis of ‘Need’- which swiftly became greed.
The Victorian Labor Party have finally woken up that the November 2014 State election will be a Public Education election. But, before public school supporters get any promises, the Catholic sector has got to be paid off.
Gough Whitlam compromised himself, the Labor Party and Australia’s democracy when he courted the Catholic vote, and their political creature - the DLP. By setting up the Schools Commission he and Kim Beazley also compromised supporters of public schools like Joan Kirner. The Needs policy was compromised from the very beginning when the wealthy schools and Catholic sector re-categorised the Greedy into the ‘Needy.’ In 1973 the Catholic sector still needed wealthy Protestant school support. Forty years on they dominate both parties with no serious opposition.
The self- styled elite in Australian education got it wrong. Mr Menzies tried to keep their jobs- for – the- boys network intact by giving State Aid in 1964. But what price the insecure ticket to heaven and the good job?
Can members of the insecure middle class afford school fees that amount to the cost of another house on top of the mortgage they have incurred for the ‘right ’suburb? And can they afford to lose the house they possess if the elite private school comes debt collecting for fees unpaid?
Suddenly, a fee-free excellent public education becomes attractive!
Proper Funding of Public Education does matter.
There are two reasons why Public Education in Australia faces a funding crisis.
Public Funding has been diverted – billions of it – into the private, religious sector, This has dire consequences for the educational standards and social cohesion of our nation.
The wealthy, particularly the wealthy multinational companies pay little or no tax.
Since their establishment in the nineteenth century, Public Education Departments, with their ability to
train, pay, and supervise teachers for both city and country schools;
ensure resources for both urban and remote areas; and
with their objective of equal opportunity for all –
have been under constant attack from religious and profiteering competitors. The latest threat comes from the Draft Report of the Harper Competition Review.
AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR THE DEFENCE OF GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS
PRESS RELEASE 568#
PM Tony Abbott says he is committed to separation of church and state. In press release from the Rationalist Association of NSW his commitment is questioned.
THE RATIONALIST ASSOCIATION OF NSW INC.