Supporters of Public Education have been deprived of an ALP political alternative by Rudd and Smith.

March 19, 2007 was the blackest day for public education in its relationship with the Federal ALP since Federation. 

But it was a great day for the private church schools.

It was a disastrous day for taxpayers and a secular, harmonious and democratic State.

It was the day two persons in leadership position took control of education policy and destroyed its connection with public education completely.

A number of newspapers actually predicted the portentous nature of the Rudd/Smith 19 March announcements. For instance, the Australian newspaper,  the paper that most vigorously represents the private school interest, spewing out constant vilification of public education,  headlined the news

" Labor Backs Private Schools"

Not surprisingly, at least eight of the largest Private school lobbies from around Australia lined up to congratulate  Labor. They were :

• Brother Kelvin Canavan, Executive Director of Schools, Catholic Education office, Sydney

• Bill Daniels, Executive Director, Independent Schools Council of Australia

• Stephen O'Doherty, CEO Christian Schools, Australia

• Dr. John Roulston, Executive Director Independent Schools Queensland

• Dick Shearman, General Secretary, Independent Education Union NSW/ACT ( IEU)

• Ian Dalton, Executive Director, Australian Parents Council

• Lynne Rolley, Federal Secretary of the Independent Education Union of Australia

• Dr. Geoff Newcombe, Executive Director of the Association of Independent Schools of NS

In this News Release, DOGS  cannot deal fully with the gravity of the March 19 Statement made by the ALP Private Church School Education "Culture Warrior" clones - Kevin Rudd and Stephen Smith.

However, we list the following disasters for Australia public education, citizens, and taxpayers:

1. Smashing of the historical connection between the ALP and Public Education

2. Promotion of the principle of parental choice above all and any other principle.

3. Church School Lobby Exclusive Source for Federal Funding Advice while Citizens, Taxpayers and Public Schools Excluded.

4. "Greeds" masked as "Needs"  as the central formula for educational funding

5. Pushing public school parents and facilities into "captured" school situations with use of "shared facilities" with private religious schools.

6. Limiting Discussion on the State Aid Question

1    SMASHING THE HISTORICAL CONNECTION BETWEEN THE ALP AND PUBLIC EDUCATION:

In 1973 the Whitlam Federal ALP enshrined in legislation the historic relationship between the Federal ALP and Public Education. This was contained in the Schools Commission Act No. 213 4(a) as follows:

      "The primary obligation in relation to education for governments to provide and maintain government school systems that        are of  the highest standard and are open, without fees or religious tests, to all children."

Smith and Rudd in their 19 March 2007 Statement abandoned this primary obligation connection with public education thereby ignoring  completely the underpinning of the education of almost 70% of Australian children. A reading of the March 19 Statement ignores this primary obligation completely . All schools are to be treated " equally"- only some are more equal.  To quote:

"Funding of all schools whether they are government, non-government, religious or secular, based on needs ..."

This follows Smith's 12 December 2006 Statement ( The Australian p. 6)

"I am much less concerned about the label on the archway on the school when they walk in than I am about the quality of education when they walk out"

2.    PROMOTION OF THE PRINCIPLE OF PARENTAL CHOICE ABOVE ALL OTHERS

 Whitlam's Schools Commission Act 1973 Clause 4 referred to the primary obligation, prior rights of parents to choose, the needs of the handicapped, and the needs of the disadvantaged. In the Rudd/Smith March 19 2007 Education Statement only "parental choice" gets a guernsey. The statement concentrates on the principle of "parental choice" the most selfish of all motives which guarantees destruction of the common good.

Not surprisingly the Media statement starts with the words:

"Where parents decide to send their children to school is entirely a matter for them. It is their choice...a Rudd Labor Government will support parental choice. We will do that by funding..."

Rudd and Smith have not only promoted parental choice, but linked funding to it directly.

3     CHURCH SCHOOL LOBBY  EXCLUSIVE SOURCE FOR FEDERAL FUNDING ADVICE  WHILE

        TAXPAYERS, CITIZENS, AND PUBLIC  SCHOOLS EXCLUDED

The position is clearly stated in the March 19 Statement.

"Federal labor is now working on options for funding schools and its approach to the next four years schools' funding round ( 2009-2012). This will be reflected in Labor's detailed school funding election commitment. Federal labor will consult widely with the Catholic and Independent Education Systems on our approach to Schools Funding generally and on detailed funding issues."

Only private school people are invited to the funding feast. Rudd and Smith are merely following the Howard/Bishop approach of 2006.

Public School people are not even in the picture.

So taxpayers, citizens and those representing almost 70% of Australia's children are excluded from consideration of expenditure of their own taxes .

Religious interests  are  now wagging the tail of the Australian State!

4.    GREEDS MASKED AS NEEDS CENTRAL FORMULA FOR EDUCATIONAL FUNDING

In their March 19 Media Statement Rudd and Smith again introduce the Needs Policy to central stage as the basis for analysing and distributing billions of dollars of federal funds.

The "needs" policy approach always was and still is a sick joke. It was and still is a fraudulent scheme which enables church school interests to rip massive amounts of taxpayers money from the Treasury.

It is a fraud perpetuated on the taxpayer and public education.

5.   PUSHING PUBLIC SCHOOL PARENTS AND FACILITIES INTO "CAPTURED" SCHOOL SITUATIONS WITH

      SHARED FACILITIES.

The Rudd/Smith "culture warriors" on March 19, in South Australia, in Adelaide announced their plan to fund "shared school" facilities.

Public Education can survive as a residual system as it bleeds from the diversion of state funding and middle class parents to private church schools. It cannot, will not, and has not survived various versions of the integrated school system. The  'shared facilities' is just another version of church school takeover of public facilities.

The "Shared facilities" exercise is the end game for public education. Not only does it enable private schools to survive and increase in numbers by parasitic use of public funded facilities ( nothing private about this!) but worse still, it enables religious people to "capture" public schools with key positions, - principals, teachers placed in public schools. Any parent who objects or  resists  is labeled  "sectarian" or "troublemaker. "

It has already happened in New Zealand and the UK . There is no real fight for public education in those countries any more. Nor is there a public system as we know it left in those countries.

As we predicted in the 1980s, this is already happening in Victoria .

The major beneficiary of State Aid has NEVER accepted public education in Australia. The Church will never be satisfied until the  brave Australian experiment - bringing our children together and ensuring a free secular education, - based on the old Irish National System - has gone the way of the C19 Irish National System - into Church hands.

The non-sectarian Irish National system was smashed and swallowed up by the Roman Catholic bishops in 1899. Will this now be the fate of our wonderful public systems in Australia?

It has taken the Church 108  years longer than it did in Ireland to get to this point . Will  they now succeed with the help of their  Rudd/Smith Culture Warriors?

6.    LIMITING DISCUSSION ON THE STATE AID QUESTION

The two Church School Culture Warrior clones are trying to prevent discussion on the State Aid question. The Rudd/Smith tag team are labeling Public education system  promoters as  "divisive",  and "promoting  outdated concepts of class warfare". They declared on March 19 that there will be a stop to this debate....

" A Rudd Labor Government will be concerned about quality of education rather than engaging in a government versus non-government schools debate. That is behind us"

This is exactly what the private church schools have wanted since they received State Aid in the 1960s.

Shut Up and Pay Up Taxpayers!  That is the order from your betters in Religion and Politics

WHERE TO FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS SUPPORTERS?

SHOW THE RUDD/SMITH CULTURE WARRIORS THAT THEY HAVE MISCALCULATED!

FORGET THE LIB/LABBERS. 

WE HAVE TO SEEK OUT OTHERS INCLUDING THE GREENS, THE DEMOCRATS AND VARIOUS INDEPENDENTS

WE LOOK FORWARD TO A CONTINUATION OF THE  FIGHT FROM THE TEACHERS AND PARENTS

FOR MORE INFORMATION

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