@Shadow Minister, though the average may have gone up, I think you would find that a few private schools were funded more favourably than others. Averages are averages and do not note specifics. Can you tell me where you found your figures, as I searched the Australian Bureau of Statistics, and couldn’t see anything pertaining to this discussion, and I concede that I’m only running off memory from some news reports of 6-8 years ago.

MC,

To be perfectly honest I am quoting from memory from a couple of months ago when spent some time reading on this issue.

But the gist of the funding issue is:

* Public schools get funded at a set rate per pupil, though some schools may vary based on need. This is increased at an annually determined indexing.

* Independent schools get a proportion of this based on the average income of the area, where the wealthier areas get a smaller proportion. (typically the wealthier schools get less per child)

* Additional grants may be applied for on an ad hoc basis for capital projects (public schools) or a contribution to capital projects (private schools)

* Roughly 50% of high school students are independently educated.

In essence, an independent school in the outer suburbs that charges $8000 per annum might get $10 000 p.a. in subsidy which makes them slightly better off than the $15 000 p.a. public schools.

The wealthy schools charge $25 000 p.a. and get $5000 p.a. in subsidy, but are substantially better off than either the public schools or the smaller independent schools.

So when the idiots call for the end to government subsidies of private schools, the schools that suffer are the lower fee independent schools which educate the vast majority of independent pupils. The result would be that the small independents close, hitting the state with hugely increased costs to educate them, and the wealthy schools increase their fees a relatively small amount.

The state pays much more, and thousands of pupils are stripped of a choice in education, and independent schooling is now available only to the elite.

I could not find anything to support the myth that some private schools get more than the public schools. I stand to be corrected, but I spent a lot of time looking.