“Comments made on the weekend about independent publicly funded schools paint a misleading and potentially unfair picture” said Independent Education Union of Australia Federal Secretary Chris Watt.
“Indeed the comments only add to the opaqueness of the school funding debate rather than illuminating it for parents and taxpayers.
“The only independent publicly funded schools that get anything like the quoted $7000 include Our Lady of the Sacred Heart at Port Keats, Tiwi College on Melville Island and St Therese’s Wilcannia, Community Homeland schools in the NT and WA, schools for special needs students like St Mary’s for the Hearing Impaired in Wantirna, Galilee School in Canberra, Boys Town and the Autism Schools.”
“The IEUA does not believe that the federal government’s funding review will be well served by indulging in age-old rhetoric about one third of students getting two thirds of the funding dollars given that such comments entirely ignore the funding and overall responsibility for government schools of the state and territory governments.
“What we know is that almost one half of students will be enrolled in the non-government school system at some stage in their schooling.
“We need to ensure that all schools, irrespective of sector, are appropriately resourced to undertake their important work,” said Mr Watt.
Contact:
Chris Watt
Federal Secretary Independent Education Union
Ph (02) 6273 3107 0419 259 143