The solution to the problem is simple, 'independent schools' shouldn't receive any taxpayers' funds whatsoever, then they would be truly independent.

Public funding of private schools is a pernicious form of middle class welfare.

Dear mac,

You wrote what I was going to write.

I agree with the above - no funding for private OR state schools. Instead, all parents receive a voucheer for the full amount of education cost per student in the state system. They are then free to use them at any school.

Since the massive expenditure on Building the Education Revolution appears to have had no benefit in educational terms, all school infrastructure is to be funded by the local schools, who are best placed to determine their needs.

And since there appears to be no measurable educational benefit in the reduced class sizes and increased resources supplied over the last three decades, all class sizes are to be increased (sacking the lowest performing 5% of teachers) and the savings in teacher salaries used to reward the better teachers among those remaining.

Staff development is to be restructured, with current crew of blithering politically correct idiots sacked, and best-practice teacher trainers imported from nations which have an improving educational performance.

Well said ChrisPer, my only disagreement is with the percentage of the lowest performing teachers to be got rid of. At least 10% of the current teaches are no more use than tits on a bull, & should be sacked regardless.

As for funding, if you are going to expect taxpayers to fund education, every child has an equal right to a share of the spending, & should be funded equally. My only contact with private schools has been when I or my kids played sport against/with them, but I don't see that as a reason to discriminate against the kids attending them.

Time for the socialists to stop the politics of envy, & start applying some of the equity they are always screaming about, but never practicing.

Your concerns about funding are well founded Stephen. The issue of concern, touched on in your article, that will affect all schools, should the NCOA's desire for responsibility for spending and policy in education come to fruition, would be a loss of the Australian Government's capacity to drive national consistency and innovation in schooling policy.

When Brendan Nelson was federal education minister he introduced the Values Education program despite significant opposition from the states and territories. By the time the program ended I don't think anyone would have been able to say that it was not successful in bringing a new dimension to the way we look at schooling. Similarly, in the early days there was great resistance among the states and territories to the notion of a national curriculum.

It is important that the Australian Government's capacity to drive a national vision for education is not diminished in pursuit of 'a doctrinaire approach' to federalism.

I was about to write the same, but ChrisPer was ahead of me, so I second him!