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

PRESS RELEASE #15.

1.  Leader of Federal ALP Opposition, Kim Beazley, concerned about "Division"

On 2 August 2000, Kim Beazley expressed concern that the Liberal National Party's Enrolment Benchmark Adjustment Policy (EBA) was causing the issue of "State Aid" to be "raised again", causing "divisions". In his News Release of that date he said

"It is not fair for non-government schools, which have been dragged into arguments about funding which have lain dormant for years. The EBA is inequitable, unjust, and has aroused unnecessary divisions between State and Private Schools."

D.O.G.S. note that such a statement must upset the former leaders of the ALP, Gough Whitlam and Bob Hawke. They believed that they had "buried the State Aid issue."   One should remember that Kim Beazley's father was one of those people that tried to help Gough Whitlam to bury the issue.

No wonder his son is concerned that it is being raised again.

The truth of the matter is that  if  you bury the"State Aid" issue, you have buried democracy, and our public education system.

2.  Are the Bureaucrats and Politicians capable of Administering State Aid to Private Schools?

D.O.G.S. have always said and have produced evidence to the effect that the bureaucrats and politicians are incapable of administering State Aid to church schools. State Aid builds and strengthens Church "states" within the nation State. But we do not need to quote ourselves on this matter. Just consider this statement from a book written by Anne O'Brien "Blazing a Trail" at page 141.

" As chair of the Schools Commission,  Dr. McKinnon  was particularly concerned with the inability of some sectors of Catholic education to demonstrate their accountability inr espect of commonwealth funding. He was very critical of parish priests' control over ythe money, and the lack of knowledge and involvement of principals in the financial matters of the schools. While he accepted the principle of financial support for non-government schools, he was not in favour of block funding, because, in some Catholic systems, the distribution of money didn't actually ensure that the most needy schools got the most resources. He maintained that, while Victoria developed a rationale for distribution of money based on need, it was impossible for the Schools Commission to penetrate what was happening in New South Wales."

D.O.G.S. note that their researches indicated and still indicate that accountability for public money in Victoria left much to be desired. How bad then, must it have been in New South Wales and elsewhere if Dr. McKinnon thought it acceptable?

The D.O.G.S. have made a submission to the Senate Committee on the State Grants ( Primary and Secondary Education) Bill 2000. The contents of this submission will be provided at a later date.

4. VALE FRANK KEARNEY

We said farewell to our long time friend and supporter Frank Kearney. Frank was from Dublin and fought for the right of children to a non-denomiantional education and the separation of Church and State. He provided the DOGS with many magazines from Southern Ireland where parents are attempting to get the control of education out from under the control of the established Church in that country.