Well Alan I think that's the point. Religion is a tool, for these people it's a way to justify their actions, not to live better lives. The only growing part of Christianity is the happy clappers. These churches teach their followers the good news bible (get rich quick) not the follow the rules and help your fellow man version. But don't think you can turn this around, Christianity displaced other religions because it offered individual reward, there was some personal reward in Christianity that the pagan religions didn't have. So what's been happing to Christianity these days is just an extension of that. Faith has become the servant not the master.

Public education? Yeah, I think this country had that once.

I think it will be an interesting process coming up to the next election. Howard has thrown so much money at the 'independent' school system, both Christian and non-Christian. How can he then propose that certain (non-Christian) groups be forced to assimilate into Australian society when he funds them to be separate? By the same token, Christian schools such as the Exclusive Bretheren are entitled to receive funding from both the State and Federal systems, and the parents of those children refuse to participate in the electoral process of voting.

Rudd nearly had my vote until he stated he wouldn't seek to remove funding from wealthy private schools and redistribute to the public system. Education for all means just that, and only public schools are committed and willing to take all comers.

I'll know when politicians and 'religious' leaders are serious about raising the quality of education in Australia when they send their own children to the local state school. Has anyone seen the figures on MPs and their children's schooling?

Slightly offtopic:

"But don't think you can turn this around, Christianity displaced other religions because it offered individual reward, there was some personal reward in Christianity that the pagan religions didn't have."

Are you sure? Christians were heavily persecuted for the first few centuries A.D., the time during which it spread the most. (The same happens today, in the many parts of the world where Christians are equally persecuted, yet many continue to convert to Christianity). I don't think that Biblical Christianity can be followed solely for personal reward.

Oh, and btw, the "happy clappy" churches you're talking about have had a STRONG focus on poverty and social justice in the last 5 years. Its about time for them to join the party, considering so many millions of schools, charities, hospitals, etc. in the third world were started by Christians over the years.

It really clouds the issue when commentators discuss 'government' funding because there are two governments and their motives and obligations are different.
The government schools are funded by the state governments, yet in NSW, the poor state of our schools hardly got a look in at our state election. Presumably the voters don't care about the local schools because the Labor govt was returned with a large majority.
The Federal government is funding the private school sector but the Feds have no obligation to fund state schools. It is quite correct for people to question the large amounts of money going to elite schools but erroneous to suggest it is being redirected from state schools. If the Feds stopped funding private schools, it is unlikely that any of that money would find its way to government schools.