David Robertson states:

"The complexities of schools funding, involving both the Federal and State Governments, and parental contributions in the case of independent schools, as well as the historical funding arrangements for different sectors and states and territories are the key blockages to moving to a funding model that is transparent and equitable and has broad community acceptance."

The main blockage requiring removal is the historic injustice done to Catholic schools at Federation in respect of which, after a century of going it alone and then gaining part-funding from the Commonwealth, they succeeded in opening the funding gates to a new range of non-government schools with a much less compelling case for public funding. The logic of David's argument suggests that full public-funding of Catholic and similar other systemic schools be reintroduced forthwith as part of the funding review that he recommends, with the funding tap for well-off schools, whether Catholic or otherwise, turned off in the name of proper, effective and justice-related needs-based funding.

David also writes: "Federal Schools Minister, Senator Simon Birmingham, has rightly highlighted a number of anomalies in current funding arrangements for States and Territories and schools across the different sectors resulting from the implementation of "Gonski". These need to be addressed over time. However, the reality is that no schools funding model can start from a clean sheet; historical arrangements need to be considered and accounted for."

This reinforces my point about keeping faith and authenticity with historical arrangements, not simply pertaining to the way in which Australian schools were funded prior to Federation but also with models that continue to work well in other countries, such as in Europe and the British Isles, Canada and NZ. In all those polities Catholic and Protestant systemic schools are fully publicly-funded as part of the public provision and cultural transmission of education. This gives parents enormous school choice without having to dip into their pockets to pay fees. All other private schools in the above polities do NOT receive any public funding and, accordingly, should be encouraged towards sustainability based on their private capacity to raise fees.

Hi Hasbeen,
Your work as an ancillary or volunteer is doubtless appreciated by the school. The fact that you have had 15 years outside the classroom does back up what I was saying: staff meetings, faculty meetings, professional development days, professional interactions between members of staff, staff dealing with 'helicopter' parents have passed you by.
The mere fact that I have spent large amounts of time in numbers of hospitals does not qualify me to judge the work of doctors or nurses, the fact that I know someone who is a paramedic does not give me the knowledge to assess her work.

I think the same thing applies to you: you've been in the one school for years doing a valuable job. This does not give you the right to make impossible statements about all schools and all teachers.

Go away and say no more.

I think schools should be funded on the basis of need with the goal of having equality of outcome. I have seen a tremendous disparity of resources across the range of schools I have worked in: goverment, catholic systemic and truly independent schools.

No school should ever have to mark broken boards on a verandah so that those boards are not trodden on: no school should ever be so flush that it can build an Olympic swimming pool and a gymnasium with underground small bore rifle range. No school should ever be so flush that it can buy a closed rural primary school and make that a "Timbertops" while ever there are government schools, without double glazing,on main roads where teaching is difficult because of road noise.

Government schools should be well funded so that they can match the local Catholic and Independent schools in teacher salaries, facilities and equipment. Government school Headmasters should have the right to expel defiant, aggressive or unruly students (after one warning?) and those Headmasters should also have the right to fire indolent and poor teachers (after one warning?).

Let us go back to the future and return to the Karmel Commission of Whitlam's time. Let us shake the rich schools off the public teat so that more money is available for under-funded government and Catholic systematic schools.

Then, and only then, will our results in PISA, TIMSS, and PIRLS really reflect the true ability of all Australian students!