Since Stephen Smith, the product of a sectarian school, requested and obtained the key position of federal shadow Minister of Education in December 2006, other sectarians have succeeded in obtaining appointments to key education portfolios.

John Howard appointed Andrew Robb MP as Minister for Vocational and Further Education in January 2007. Readers of the DOGS web page  would not be surprised to discover that Who's Who in Australia records that Andrew Robb was educated at a Roman Catholic school, Christian Brothers College, (Parade) Victoria.

Australia is no different to  the UK with sectarian appointments - for instance, Ruth Kelly, a supporter of Opus Dei

 Recently The Australian 4 April 2007, p. 10 reported that the Sinn Fein, the political wing of the IRA had chosen "The Education Portfolio" as its first choice under the d'Hondt system of distributing the Cabinet seats in Northern Ireland. On 8 May 2007 it is anticipated that Sinn Fein's Caitriona Ruane will officially become Education Minister in the Northern Ireland parliament. Caitriona was educated at the primary level at Louis Rathmines, Dublin, St. Angela's, Castlebar, Mayo and at the secondary level, Convent of Mercy, Castlebar.

Quoting from the above article:

Mr. McGuinness was Education Minister in the previous executive, which was suspended in October 2002 over allegations of an IRA Spy Ring at Stormont. Mr. McGuinness' final act as Education Minister was to abolish Northern Ireland's Grammar School system - a decision the Democratic Unionists reversed as part of last October's St. Andrews Agreement.

Following the recent New South Wales elections, a new  Education Minister was appointed in early April 2007. The person appointed to the key education portfolio was John Della Bosca. And what is his educational background? John Della Bosca was educated at De La Salle (Caringbah and Cronulla). His wife was educated at a private school, Kinross, Wolaroi Orange.

When will a Minister educated in and forthrightly committed in word and deed  to the public school system obtain a key education portfolio in either Coalition or Labor ministries or shadow ministries in Australia ?

DOGS note the following appointments:

• John Howard appointed Pat Farmer MP in October 2004 as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister for Education, Science and Training. He was a graduate of a sectarian school, Granville Patrician Brothers, New South Wales.

• John Howard appointed Julie Bishop as the key Federal Minister of Education . She was not only a graduate of a sectarian Anglican school, but was a member of the Anglican Education Commission in Western Australia when she commenced her parliamentary career.

• This means that John Howard's three key education appointments are graduates and proponents of the private sector.

• Bracks appointed John Lenders to the key Victorian Education portfolio after the 2006 election. A blatant apologist and supporter of sectarian schools, John Lenders is an expert in private/public partnerships. His wife teaches in a private ( Baptist) sectarian school while his children are enrolled in that system.

It appears that when it comes to key positions in the public education sector a graduate and/or supporter of public education need not apply.

Discrimination in favour of the sectarian, private system graduate and against the public sector supporters appears to be the order from the corridors of power.

At what point does Discrimination of this order become a Human Rights Issue?

FOR MORE INFORMATION

LISTEN TO THE DOGS RADIO PROGRAM

3CR 855 ON THE AM DIAL

12.30 p.m. ON Saturdays.