Public vs Private School Funding
Last week, the NSW Teachers Federation put the public versus private school funding debate firmly back on the national agenda. It announced it would investigate the possibility of a High Court challenge against the Federal Government’s proportionally high funding of private schools. It believes the current funding arrangements may be unconstitutional and that they at least need to be tested in the courts. This debate stretches back into Australian history and its sectarian divides, but has been reignited ahead of the Federal election. Mark Franklin spoke to Maree O’Halloran, President of the New South Wales Teachers Federation; John Kaye, Greens’ lead NSW Senate candidate; Ian Baker, President of the Catholic Schools Association; and John Quessy, Acting President of the Independent Schools Association.