The most, perhaps the only positive thing DOGS can say about Simon Birmingham is that he attended public schools. So, hopefully, he has more idea than most of his Liberal Party colleagues about public education.
That said, there is to date, no evidence of any change of federation education in relation to funding. And the Assistant Minister, Mr Scott Ryan’s main interest appears to be Catholic Education. But then, in 2007-8 Ryan was doing research in the Institute of Public Affairs!
Simon Birmingham has indicated concern over the rorts in the private vocational sector, but there is no evidence of his commitment to anything other than the tired Liberal market ideology. Birmingham’s plans include pushing for the Commonwealth to take over existing State responsibilities for funding vocational education.