Because of the profligate spending by Labor under the weak excuse of saving us from the GFC, all governments are facing a considerable shortfall in funds. There are only two alternatives. The one taken by all craven governments is to cut services. It doesn't seem to have occurred to anyone that they should all be biting the bullet and increasing taxes, right across the board. After all, in most cases, if this country is to prosper, we really cannot afford to cut services. We have all been living on credit in Lotus Land for too long and the time has come to realise that this must stop. At the end of the day, governments have to pay the bills and the only way to raise revenue is to increase taxes. Buying votes by reducing taxes and giving money to the greedy simply will not do.

David

It suits some people to pretend that there is a "non-government schools sector". Christopher Pyne rants about this ceaselessly because it suits him. Likewise, the emotional sabre-rattling of some of the wealthiest schools.

Look at the realities. There is a very large collection of assorted establishments.

Some of the best land in Sydney Melbourne and Adelaide is held by wealthy schools. Children attend school and parents pay over $20,000 for them to do so. These schools cry poor but they are really ways in which we entrench existing privileges on the wealthy.

There are Catholic parochial schools which have various degrees of wealth and charge various levels of fees.

There are Muslim and Jewish schools with various degrees of wealth and length of history.
There are assorted other Christian and independent schools.

If people can't afford to pay the fees these places charge, they should send their children to government schools. It's high time there was a rational debate about school funding but everyone is scared of losing votes. "To each according to his need" has never been done.

The wealthiest people scream loudest about losing their privileges and they have the skill and the money to do so well. If in doubt, sue. They are used to getting what they want.