Yet another consequence of pursuing a policy of high population growth. The cost of building new infrastructure and maintaining existing infrastructure accounts for about one quarter of government spending. Governments can delay things for a while with heavy borrowing as many have been doing, but this adds debt repayments to the equation, which further reduces the ability to provide services like education.

This article from Jul shows how skewed federal funding for schools is:
http://news.theage.com.au/breaking-news-national/research-points-to-unfair-school-funding-20100728-10vfs.html

As with all things from the media, it should be taken with a grain of salt as it doesn't show the funding that the States provide to schools. Nonetheless, the increase that was reported doesn't seem to make sense.

http://currentglobalperceptions.blogspot.com/

@Otokonoko, “let's not forget that private school parents pay taxes as well. They just pay a little more on top to get what they believe is best for their kids. From experience, they aren't always richer or more privileged. They just have different priorities.”

I take your point. What you say is basically true. My comment was in reference to the question of why the general public may feel resentful at times as to why private schools receive disproportionate funding and expect access…especially since the Howard regime raped the public education system, and was guilty of elitism…plus the attitude that it’s tough enough competitively in the real world, without having up-starts from the suburbs ALSO competing for positions with my children. It’s as much a form of protectionism, as it is elitism. So they raped the public system, and further feathered the private system to the point of it now being grossly disproportionate.

But further to that, what Howard did was to favour the schools of the captains of industry. Even in the allocation of the funds to the private system, Howard displayed elitism. I went to a relatively prestigious private school, and one of my class-mates is now the vice-principal of that school, and he explained some of the funding arrangements to me.

Personally, I’m more egalitarian, and so believe in equal opportunity for all, and so believe in an equal distribution of funding to both private and public, saving exceptional specific circumstances of a particular school, I don’t believe in favouring either, but of ensuring the provision of as a high a standard as possible for all. Personally, I would like to see education as a fixed percentage of GDP, for example, removing it as a political football.

Finally, the government of a “democracy” whether left wing or right wing, theist or not, should provide equal opportunity for all, for is that not the basic tenet of “democracy”? And generally speaking, that also means equal access, does it not?

It costs about $15,000 to educate a child each year.

Public schools receive $15,000 per child from governments.

Private schools receive about $5,000 per child from governments.

I tend to think that the concentration on funding of private schools is removing attention from the real issues.

Education standards have been declining for many years in both private and public schools.

I'm pleased to see some quite intelligent discussions going on in here - even when I disagree, I can always count on OLO to offer some balanced and thought-out arguments that get me thinking.

I agree, MindlessCruelty (and sorry for butchering your name before with weird capitals and a missing letter), that it would be good to see education receiving a fixed share of GDP - or at least having some parameters to prevent governments from throwing money at it, to be used up as quickly as possible, around election time - then tearing it away over the next few years.

I think also that our governments need to look to the long-term with education. Even in my short teaching career, I have seen so many 'initiatives' put in place then cancelled shortly after. We juggle three or four programs at a time, each aimed to 'improve' schools, but none implemented appropriately. The result is a government that claims to be on the cutting edge as far as education is concerned, and an education leader with so many new ideas and award-winning programs, but no improvement actually takes place. Educational policy is disposable, used for political gain and ignored. To boost standards, we need to address that.

Otokonoko, NAME the public school that has all these facilities, including the rowing shed please - I am sure there are many parents who would love to know the school's name so they can send their children there.
If you won't name it, then stop posting nonsense. In NSW, there is a single (yes 1) public school that has a swimming pool - it is Hurstville Agricultural High School - the pool was built about 1946 (and yes it hasn't been rebuilt since, either, just maintained), and was an innovation which was never repeated in the NSW public school system.
Where I live in Sydney, I would estimate about 50% of the local private schools have swimming pools, not to mention music centres etc etc.