Put public schools and TAFE first

Australia needs a government prepared to put public education first, writes MAREE O'HALLORAN.

"Any weakening of universal public education can only be a weakening of the long-standing essential role universal public education plays in making us a civilised democracy." - John Ralston Saul, 2002.

Australia needs a government prepared to put public education first. Federation's reports on the political parties in the lead up to the federal election focus on this issue and industrial relations.

The Federal Coalition Government's policy has been to dramatically cut the share of federal funding to public schools. Just as the Prime Minister and his colleagues have gone too far with their extreme industrial relations laws, so too have they been extremist in their schools policy. When John Howard came to power in 1996 public schools were receiving 45 per cent of direct federal funding (an indictment on the Hawke/Keating Government). However, that share has now dropped to 35 per cent.

The Federal Government and private school lobbyists like to argue that their gain is because of enrolment increases (Independent Schools Council of Australia executive director Bill Daniels, The Australian, September 6). While there has been an increase in private school enrolments, the funding increases from the Federal Government have been far greater. This is best illustrated in per capita terms. In 1996 for every one dollar of direct federal recurrent funding per public school student, approximately $4 were spent on a private school student. In 2006 that figure was approximately $6. Thus, even if enrolments in a private school have dropped over the last decade, federal funding may still increase. For example, Newington College had an enrolment decrease of 8.3 per cent from 1996 to 2006 but federal funding increases of 234 per cent.

Many members will have used the 2005 Productivity Commission figures to calculate the additional federal recurrent funding for their school size if the Federal Government spent even an equal amount on public and private school students. The figures are staggering.

The Federal Government's Investing in Our Schools Program is being used as a smokescreen for Coalition MPs to mask the real issue; that is, the funding formula which delivers the sustainable, recurrent funding. The program is a targeted, submission-based one. Announced during the 2004 election as a result of public education campaigns, it did release an extra $1 billion over four years, 70 per cent of which went to public schools (a first for this government). However, this program does not change the reality of the Federal Government's policy choices.

As Ross Gittins clearly said in his article, "More privilege for the privileged" published in the Sydney Morning Herald on May 23: "Mainly because of commonwealth grants, funding for non-government schools is growing at three times the rate of spending on public schools, which is far in excess of the growth in the private sector's share of enrolments, " and, "Australia is the only country where the provision of public funding to private schools is the dominant function of the national government -- and constitutes the largest item in its education budget". Similarly, Australia is now the only OECD nation where, as a matter of law, employers can refuse to allow their employees to collectively bargain.

The federal Coalition's record and policies on public education, industrial relations and a range of social justice and equity issues are known. A further term will inevitably exacerbate the trend.

So, where is federal Labor on public education? To date Kevin Rudd's promises to private school groups have been specific. Labor will retain the current funding formula and indexation rules for private schools. In contrast, public education supporters are left to scour nebulous statements looking for commitments to public education. On September 5, in an email response to Federation's e-campaign, Public Education--A National Priority, Mr Rudd said: "In particular, the Commonwealth has a primary obligation to adequately and appropriately fund government schools."

This is the most positive statement he as made in favour of public education. Federal Labor will announce detailed schools funding election commitments in the coming weeks.

Congratulations and thank you to all Associations that have held local public education events over the past few weeks. It is important that we keep the issue alive in the minds of the electorate and federal candidates. Please distribute Federation's information postcards to parents and community members. The card succinctly conveys the complex federal funding information.

Federation also expects Labor to announce its TAFE funding policy in the near future. Labor's credentials in this area have not been helped by the decision of the NSW Labor Government to increase TAFE fees by nine per cent in the face of real cuts to the TAFE budget over many years. Federation rejects NSW Education and Training Minister John Della Bosca's "user-pays" argument. TAFE fees establish barriers to an institution which should be open and available to all.

I did, however, enjoy Mr Della Bosca's responses to yet another ridiculous media statement from Andrew Stoner (NSW Coalition spokesperson for education). Mr Stoner claimed that teachers indoctrinated students in the lead up to APEC. Della Bosca said in response: "It's just simply not happening -- it's never happened, it's a fiction created from the dark recesses of Mr Stoner's numb skull." (ABC News, September 5).

While Sydney was locked down like a police state, APEC leaders failed to discuss solutions to human and labour rights violations in the Asia Pacific region. People trafficking, the sex trade and the exploitation and abuse of workers are the ugly face of globalisation. An estimated 1.36 million people are exploited as a result of human trafficking (International Labour Organisation, 2006). The working poor comprise 52 percent of the working population of the Asia Pacific region.

Industrial relations laws in Australia remain a significant election issue. While Labor's policy is superior to the Coalition's, the Greens remain the only party committed to ripping up WorkChoices in its entirety.

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September 2007 contents