Same old, same old blackmail/tail wagging the dog, by the religious schools demanding far superior funding or else.

And getting away with it because of the alleged votes they have in their constituents/parent body.

Time their bluff was called, and funding changed to a new means tested model. Where every student is funded below a certain parental income level and all parents deciding where those funds go depending on the service offered. Similar to current aged home care packages.

This would mean all children regardless of their parent's means would be treated equal. Now, WTF is wrong with that!?
Alan B.

WTF is wrong with that!?
Alan B,
Nothing & everything ! To automatically treat everyone equal is discrimination. Doesn't anyone know anymore what merit means ?
Those who have the brains & ability to learn are vastly different from those who are not. Education for education's sake is exactly the stupidity that's brought society to the sad point it is at now ! Educated idiots are out-numbering the capable yet they're "equal?". The undisciplined vs those who exercise discipline is equality ?
Get teachers with a mentality in line with the profession first & support them instead of giving the little rascals more authority than the teachers & parents only to become vote boosting Labor voters & bureaucrats.

Indy. That may be so, but we all should start as equals until the cream rises to the top. And they should be encouraged to move forward and excel via special ed.

Again, it should be via this or that level of, parent directed, personal funding and evidence-based assessments.

Ditto the slow learners who need additional after school tutorials.

Have a nice day.
Alan B.

we all should start as equals until the cream rises to the top
Alan B,
That sounds idea however, as we all have different starts & some of us are responsible right from the beginning whereas others will never be responsible yet they're handed authority !
Equality means equal responsibilities not equal rights !

Equality means equal responsibilities not equal rights !

That should of course be 'not only equal rights'.
Young children can no longer be children because of too much emphasis on early childhood development i.e. indoctrination. Kindy is no longer a place for children to play & Childcare in general is all about making money. Society then asks in bewilderment what went wrong. At six -8 years of age the Leftist morons bombard them with Gender idiocy.
Why aren't there Laws to deal with such morons disrupting & more often than not ruining children's lives ?
With that system there's no cream to float to the top !

"Independent" vs "Catholic" is a false binary, the great majority are church schools. Fact is, Australia has an abiding LIbLabGreens political settlement, church not state schools are the preferred sector, the first now being nearly as well funded as the second.

This is a fantastic result for Howard's values n choice, not so great for equality n outcomes. Not that Albanese cares, he wouldn't dare offend the archbishops.