Education Commentators are romancing about the Whitlam vision for ‘Needs-based’ funding in Australia, and bemoan the fact that inequities are not diminishing but increasing. DOGS have news for them. There never was a ‘Needs’ policy and what has happened was predictable.
The Australian Council for the Defence of Government Schools ( D.O.G.S.) commenced informally in 1964, and was established on 26 April 1967.
The organisation has two objectives: the promotion and protection of public education and the separation of religion from the state. It accordingly opposes public funding of private education. The formation and activities of the D.O.G.S. have been closely connected with the problems confronting public secondary education in the last fifty years.
AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR THE DEFENCE OF GOVERNMENT SCHOOLS
PRESS RELEASE 579#
A NEW YEAR WISH FOR PUBLIC SCHOOL TEACHERS
Victorian voters have been bombarded with what appear to have been choices in the State election. But, at the last moment, Catholic school parents have been told to not vote for the Greens in inner Melbourne. Once again, the Catholic church tries to make itself important – crucial to the major parties. Smoke and mirrors, obfuscation, and sometimes downright corruption – has our democracy come to this?
Scotch College Melbourne this year lodged its 2013 financial return. It showed, among the school's revenue for the year of $70.9 million, a payment for $5.4 million as "reimbursement following a Supreme Court action". The payment helped Scotch record a net surplus of $11.5 million.
Scotch College Melbourne this year lodged its 2013 financial return. It showed, among the school's revenue for the year of $70.9 million, a payment for $5.4 million as "reimbursement following a Supreme Court action". The payment helped Scotch record a net surplus of $11.5 million.
Privatisation of education in the Anglo-American world – which Australia follows slavishly - has been tried and found wanting. It has been rejected, not only by Australian academics, but by writers of a United Nations Report presented last week to the United Nations General Assembly. Meanwhile, contracting education services to private providers has encouraged what can only be described as corruption and profit for the boys – and girls at the highest level.
Gough Whitlam has been lauded for introducing ‘fairness’ into Australian education. And he certainly opened up free tertiary education. But he gave in to pressure groups who were against free, secular and universal public education.
‘Fairness’in primary and secondary education is code for saying that Whitlam poured public funds into private, mainly Catholic schools on the basis of ‘Need’- which swiftly became greed.
The Victorian Labor Party have finally woken up that the November 2014 State election will be a Public Education election. But, before public school supporters get any promises, the Catholic sector has got to be paid off.
Gough Whitlam compromised himself, the Labor Party and Australia’s democracy when he courted the Catholic vote, and their political creature - the DLP. By setting up the Schools Commission he and Kim Beazley also compromised supporters of public schools like Joan Kirner. The Needs policy was compromised from the very beginning when the wealthy schools and Catholic sector re-categorised the Greedy into the ‘Needy.’ In 1973 the Catholic sector still needed wealthy Protestant school support. Forty years on they dominate both parties with no serious opposition.