As I understand it the point of Gonski is not to take from private schools, but to give to public schools and struggling private (mainly Catholic) schools. As I understand it Gonski involves loadings for disadvantaged students - helping to reduce student-teacher ratios, and provide money for essential resources - for libraries, computer labs, science labs etc. And helping disadvantaged students with personal assistance. But to be meaningful all of this will cost billions. It should also go towards improving teacher wages and conditions - helping to attract more highly skilled people to the sector. Attempts to make teacher entry more selective there has to be the incentive of better wages and conditions as well - otherwise it simply won't work.

Thanks for your reply, Tristan. I still take the Gonski reforms with a pinch of salt, largely because they are monetary rather than educational. However, I also take the words of the naysayers with a pinch of salt, because they are naturally interested in pushing their own barrows with scant regard for others. Certainly as a Catholic school teacher I have read the reports that suggest we will be better equipped to do our jobs under a Gonski-inspired system. That's Gonski in its original form, of course: not the watered-down form that is likely to eventually find its way into our schools. You can blame the Liberals for that, though it is worth noting that the Labor Party has done little to sell the reforms. They keep telling us how wonderful they will be, but don't offer any information to back it up. They make the leap from money to performance that doesn't wash with the thinking public.

Perhaps that's one of the causes of the broad disenchantment with Labor that seems to be sweeping across the nation: they treat us like idiots. They state facts and expect us to believe them without providing any supporting evidence. John Howard did the same thing towards the end of his time. Is it arrogance?

Tristan,

Considering that Labor has yet to balance the budget with existing policies (estimated $20bn short this year), let alone find the $8bn p.a. needed for the NDIS, the further $6bn p.a. looks distant from reality.

Ths single greatest failing of Gonski is why after an increase in real spending over the past decade or so in public schools, the outcomes have fallen so badly. Until the reasons for the decline are pinpointed and adddressed, the Gonski funding is just another $6bn down a socialist rathole.