Australian state election: Major parties ignore public school decay

The response of both Labor Premier Morris Iemma and his Liberal counterpart, Peter Debnam, to conditions in the state’s 2,200 public schools can only be described as contemptuous.

At his election launch last month, Iemma promised to spend $280 million over four years to repair decrepit school halls, gymnasiums and toilet blocks. His government’s own Auditor-General had reported that insufficient funding over the past 10 years had resulted in a $116 million backlog in school maintenance.

Parent and teacher groups slammed the government for re-announcing funds previously pledged and pointed out that such maintenance was a basic government responsibility and should not be announced as election promises. Public Schools Principals Forum chair, Cheryl McBride, told the media: “It’s just ridiculous. We shouldn’t be talking about toilets in an election campaign, but we are.”

By contrast, both the federal and state governments have spent lavishly on private and religious schools, placing mounting pressure on parents to pay hefty fees in the hope of securing a decent education for their children. Federally, the Howard government allocates an estimated $4,515 per private school student annually compared to $1,050 for public school students. On top of that, the NSW Labor government spends some $750 million each year funding or subsidising private schools.

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http://wsws.org/articles/2007/mar2007/educ-m16.shtml