An excerpt (from Hansard) from Senator Thistlethwaite’s speech:

He (Lionel Bowen) of course served in the Whitlam and Hawke governments in a number of portfolios already outlined. As Senator Faulkner has noted, he was the sponsor of four unsuccessful referendums, including one advocating four-year terms for this place and the House of Representatives and amendments to recognise local government in our Constitution. But he is probably most remembered, in terms of policy achievements, for his reforms to introduce needs based funding for non-government schools.

Writing in Online Catholics on 13 October 2004, he rather amusingly outlined the process by which he would come to sponsor this bill in the House of Representatives. He said:
Gough Whitlam said, “Listen Bowen, you’re a Catholic aren’t you? This schools report legislation has come back. Beazley is in hospital but I don’t know whether I can trust you with this legislation”. He said, “I’ve got Grassby here”. I said, “Give it to Grassby, that’s the best thing to do”.
Whitlam replied: “No … I want you to have it. I want to get this bill through”. Bowen went on to state:

So I made a speech … I talked about the advantages the Catholic Education system has given to Australia, about the dedication of those who work in it, about the parents who support it. Are you going to deny these children a fair chance to compete on the same basis? … I said the best thing we could do was have a double dissolution on this. We’ll take it to the people.

Ralph Hunt and Peter Nixon, two of the Country Party fellows, came round to me afterwards and said, Lionel, you don’t really mean that. Of course we do, I said. We’ll wipe the floor with you on this issue, you know that.

Some days later, the two chaps from the Country Party came back and said:
There are a couple of schools in our electorates that need a little topping up … Could you help us? …

So when the bill comes back on, I’ve increased their subsidy. There is a vote. The whole of the Country Party came across the floor and voted with us.

That is an amusing but factual account of that very important reform introduced and successfully passed through this parliament by Lionel Bowen.