*It is in the interests of all Australians that we support Catholic organisations like schools and hospitals - without them we'd be stuffed!*

Not really, Minimus. I am not aware that St John of God hospital
charges any less, then for profit hospitals for instance.

Kids at Catholic schools would miss out on good sex education,
patients in Catholic hospitals would be denied tubal litigation
surgery and similar.

So the odd ones might be ok, but we'd certainly not want too many
of them.

My brother's eldest kid started in the State school in their regional centre, and my nephew got beaten up by the aboriginal kids every lunch. Nobody studied and many finished school unable to read.

Parents need choice. Without choice, you have terrible outcomes for kids.

So in country areas all the parents who care put their kids in the catholic school. Why? mostly to avoid the kids of those single parents who don't care.

The public school system shows again and again that it does a pretty good job with the worst kids, but at the expence of the mid-range and smart kids. International testing shows that our worst kids don't do so bad, but that the upper levels are pretty poor.

Without choice, you have the lowest common denominator for all kids. At least with choice, some kids get an education and sine kids have a future.

VOUCHERS!

Why do a third of parent in Australia pay school fees for their kids, and taxes dor other person's kids school?

Every kid should get s 'voucher', like a ration card, that pays for a basic minimun education. If the parents want, they can take that voucher to the local government schools and get a free education.

Or they can choose to take that voucher to a private school and pay a bit extra?

Of course, kis with a diagnosed learning problem or living in remote areas should have vouchers with extra cash loaded into them... but the principle is the same...

EVERY KID SHOULD GET THE SAME OPPORTUNITIES FROM THE TAXPAYER, unless there is a Medicaly diagnosed need.

CHOICE will result in the best outcomes for the greatest number of kids.

Hey, if the government doesn't want to fund our grubby, religious schools, then tell them not to accept our grubby, religious, taxing-paying dollar.

As the saying goes, "No taxation without representation (or funding)."

Equity all round.