IS THE LABOR PARTY TRYING TO FOOL SUPPORTERS OF PUBLIC EDUCATION INTO VOTING FOR THEM ?

The new Leader of the Opposition, Mark Latham is one of the rare members of his party who intends to send his children to public schools. And he is pictured and reported in the Age December 11, p.4 as telling students at Melbourne's Ashwood College that he hoped his sons Oliver 3 and Isaac 1 would follow in his footsteps and attned the Hurlstone Agricultural High School in Sydney's West.

He is also reported as saying:

    "There's nothing more powerful in our society than a good government school for people who come from a humble background".

But, good intentions aside, where is the Labor Party really at with their funding policy?

We hope that Mark Latham sticks to the position he put in Parliament on 29 August 2001 when he said

"Not every school should be entitled to public funding" ( Hansard House of Reps. 4 December 2001 as quoted by Dr. Nelson)

According to Dr. Nelson Mark Latham wrote in a book authored by himself

What did you Learn Today   at page 44, "Not every school should be entitled to public funding."

But this is NOT the policy of the Shadow Minister for Education, Jenny Macklin.

Consider the following statement in her final speech on the States Grants (Primary and Secondary Education Assistance) Amendment  Bill 2003 Hansard  2 December 2003 she had this to say:

"The Opposition accept that all schools should receive some public funding in recognition of the contribution they make to education generally. "

Supporters of Public Education should not be fooled by the Labor Party running with the hares while hunting with the hounds. It has at every election since 1972. And if it had not been for the Schools Commission in 1973 opening the flood gates of State Aid ( now running into ever more billions every year) the public education system would not be suffering in 2004.

Public School supporters should put Mark Latham on the spot and demand that PUBLIC FUNDING SHOULD BE FOR PUBLIC SCHOOLS ONLY.

AND BY PUBLIC SCHOOLS DOGS MEAN SCHOOLS WHICH ARE:

PUBLIC IN OWNERSHIP

PUBLIC IN ACCESS REGARDLESS OF CLASS, CULTURE, CREED OR COLOUR

PUBLIC IN  FUNDING

PUBLIC IN ACCOUNTABILITY

PUBLIC IN PURPOSE

PUBLIC IN OUTCOME.

No privately owned church school or system can fulfil the above criteria.