An interesting article, obviously written from a point of frustration.
Education is a business. The business model needs a profit. Profits are the priority.
http://www.whereis.com/nsw/north-sydney-2060/bank-st
Open this map as an example of the most expensive real estate in Sydney. What this map doesn't show, is the real estate progressively purchased by the school, and leased out for profit and availability for future axpansion.
This is obviously a good business plan, but who pays?

I don't know where the figures for fees are coming from. Each independant school is different and charges differ between them. I do know that when one grandson was at a small independant school, the annual budget released showed that the school was actually educating the children for less than the cost of the nearby public schools, fees included.
To refresh my memory I have just looked up the fee structure of two independant schools I know in Darwin.
The smaller one fees for 2015 .......Primary School $2480/year. Middle School $4560/year

The larger college, which also has boarding facilities charges( without boarding)
Primary School $3300/year. Secondary School $5100/year

As I said, all private schools have different charges so I don't see how the conclusions made in this article can be seen as accurate.

Yes Big Nana, some of this stuff has the smell of voodoo economics?

I replied to Senators five truths and nothing would be gaining by simply repeating it here? And just ask those who are open to new ideas, take a butchers at that post!?
Alan B.

To Big Nana

I would not quote figures about funding without evidence. Obviously we are talking about averages and two examples from you do not prove anything. Primary schools are also less expensive on the average and secondary schools more expensive.
I can refer you directly to the Australia Parliament Website (not generally a source for voodoo economics)for 2010 figures (I used more recent figures which i cannot trace at present
http://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/BN/2012-2013/schoolfunding#table7

I have tried to transcribe the table, but the Online format is not really suitable. Just go the url.
However in summary for 2010:Govt schools: $11,523 per student; Catholic Schools $10,344 per student Private (Independent) $14,456 per student

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Ian Keese

Ian,,that website only provides an overall average for private fees. It doesn't take into account the fact that the more select schools have a much higher fee structure which means the smaller schools have far lower fees. As I said, the independent school one of my grandchildren attended had a smaller budget than the neighbouring public schools. The fact that the only two schools I looked at both had lower fee structures than the average stated is an indication that many other schools would have similarly low fees.
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And I'm wondering if the contributions listed in the amounts from parents included the value of voluntary work done by parents. Each term all parents had to donate 8 hours of time to the school for projects like gardening, maintenance, classroom help etc. which of course translates into money saved by the school.

The management of small independent schools proves what can be achieved with small budgets and motivated parents, all of whom worked as well.

In the history of economics practically everything the government does is always less efficient than when it is undertaken by private enterprise in an unregulated market. Railways, health, communications (phones and the internet) electricity, primary industry, banking and insurance, etc.
Yet when it comes to possibly one of the most important public needs, education, for some reason it is a given that the government must not only set the curriculum for all students, but also take a leading position in the hands on application of actual teaching students.
This is not to suggest that all government schools should be immediately sold off, but it is interesting to note that the concept of offering vouchers (even if means tested) of equal fiscal amount to the per student cost at state schools, together with the freedom of private schools to follow their own curriculum, is treated with greater horror than the bubonic plague.