The bipartisan attack on public education
Ray Nielson
Politicians of both Liberal and Labor flavour would have us believe that public schools in Victoria have enjoyed "salad days" during the ALP reign, while the private system has not received favoured treatment.
A statistical analysis using the Commonwealth Schools Resources Index as an inflator (rather than the higher CPI index) reveals that, from the last Victorian Liberal budget of 1981-82 to the last Labor budget of 1992-93, public schools in Victoria suffered a real cut of 0.5% in their funding. The private sector over the same period enjoyed a real increase of 85% in combined federal and state government funding. Over the last five Labor budgets, public schools suffered a real cut in funding of 3.1% while the private system received a real increase of 19.8%.
This analysis does not include the Kennett cuts to public schools of an amount in excess of $102 million.
A study of federal budget papers on projected funding for 1992 to 1996 reveal that private schools are to receive a $134 real increase in per capita federal funding while public schools are to be cut in real terms by $18.30 per pupil in federal recurrent funding.
In a 1990 Commonwealth paper, the federal Labor government indicated that it would maintain its per capita recurrent funding to public schools at the same level in real terms from 1993 to 2000. Private school grants to the most numerous "level 10" schools were promised a real increase of $82 per primary pupil and an increase of $123 per secondary pupil.
Since the major source of increased funding in the future will be from federal treasury, public school teachers, parents and students must confront the fact that this source is presently favouring an expansion of the private system.
If the last Kirner Labor budget had been carried through, there would have been an increase of $33 million in funding to public schools. However, Victorian private schools were to receive a funding increase of $34.2 million. Taking into account Kennett's $102 million cut to public education, this leaves the public sector with a reduction of $68.9 million while the $34.2 million increase in private school funding is yet to be touched.
The contemptuous treatment meted out to public education and the favoured treatment of the private sector is best illustrated in the proposed per capita funding of exclusive private schools like Scotch College, Melbourne Grammar and Wesley College.
In 1993, after a decade of state and federal Labor governments, recurrent funding has been set at $307 per public primary pupil and $455 per secondary pupil. But a Scotch College, Melbourne Grammar or Wesley College primary pupil gets $408 and a secondary pupil $647. In summary, a public school pupil gets about 60% of the subsidy received by a wealthy private school pupil. This relative preference is to remain to the year 2000 if the current eight-year plan continues unquestioned.
[Ray Nielson is a spokesperson for the Australian Council for the Defence of Government Schools.]