On the basis of forty years in the field of political analysis and research, DOGS are in the forefront in proclaiming that the church school faction is a cancer in the Body Politic.

Unfortunately Australians are in this position more so that in most western countries because of an combination of various factors. These are :

• The relatively high percentage of children attending church schools( 32.9%-2005)

• The relatively high percentage of Roman Catholics in the community (26.6% -2001)

• The highly centralised and aggressive sectarian Roman Catholic Education system which separates children and young adults from pre-school age and now to post-university age.

• The high percentage of church school graduates (far greater than their proportion in the general community) in the government bureaucracies.

• The high percentage of church school graduates ( far greater than their proportion in the general community) amongst the mandarins in the government bureaucracies and ministerial advisers.

• The high percentage of church school graduates ( far greater than their proportion in the general community) amongst politicians.

• The high percentage of church school graduates in important positions in the press.

•  The high percentage of church school graduates in key positions in the legal establishment.

DOGS believe that no other English speaking country with the possible exception of the Republic of Ireland has the above powerful and volatile mixture. The difference between the Australian and the Southern Irish situation however, is that there has been in recent years a greater exposure and questioning of the activities and effect of the power of the Roman Catholic Church than in Australia.

In the nineteenth century the inheritors of the Reformation and the Age of Enlightenment ( the secularists, church/state separationists and supporters of public education) were willing to confront and stand up to the churchmen and prevent their encroachments on democratic institutions and the public good.

Since the 1950s in Australia, however, there has been a failure of will, purpose and downright intestinal fortitude in our political, academic and media to stand up for our secular inheritance, separation of the church from the state and public education.

The result is that, even in 2007, the largest employer in Australia is the Roman Catholic Church. It should be noted that much of our welfare budget is now in the hands of this Church with the Salvation Army, the Anglicans, the Uniting Church, and other sectarian groups going along for the ride- thank you very much. It is no accident that Australia has come to this pass.

The latest absurdity, which has hardly caused a ripple to date, is the appointment of a Roman Catholic welfare body being given enormous sums of money for pregnancy counseling services involving advice on abortion. This is like giving the breweries  public money to counsel young people and alcoholics on the virtues of abstinence.

In recent months the principles of secular education in the public sector hammered out in the second half of the nineteenth century by men who had the guts to take on the churches who wanted control over the education of children,  have been completely overturned - again, with any reaction dumbed down by the mainstream Press and, of course, the Alternative Liberal Party otherwise known as the ALP. Mr. Kevin Rudd is more concerned to wear his religious opinions and sentimental attachments on his political coat sleeve, than to confront real issues of Church/State separation. 

Mr. Kevin Rudd could not even appoint a Shadow Minister of Education who is a graduate from a public school. So both the current Federal Minister of Education, Julie Bishop and the Shadow Minister Stephen Smith are both church school graduates and supporters.

DOGS invite visitors to our website to read the story of what happened to the DOGS in the 1981 High Court case to gain some further understanding of the earlier undermining of our basic democratic institutions and values by the Church School faction. They also invite you to follow our news releases over the years to gain some insight into the continuing erosion of our institutions, and particularly the lack of accountability for billions of dollars of public money by the sectarian church school lobby.

DOGS calls upon supporters of public education and supporters of church/state separation whether they be secularists, humanists, rationalists, atheists or  religious people who understand what Jesus meant when he said "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's....." to stand firm and fight for our democratic, secular ,enlightenment inheritance

DOGS have never been shy of calling a spade a spade and believe in the old state school playground saying:

"sticks and stones shall break my bones but names will never hurt me!"

they hope that others will join them in the battle for public education, separation of church and state and the common good in 2007.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

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