(continued)

6. The biggest problem with education spending is that the Federal government funds private schools more than state schools. It should be the other way round, to encourage state governments to run good quality schools that people would want to send their children to!

BER was generally good, though in some states it fell victim to problem 8.

As university gives people the skills to do higher value work, lifting the restrictions on student numbers was the right decision.

7. Considering the quality of life improvements it will bring, the NDIS is money well spent. And by making our disabled people more productive, it may ultimately be self funding (though as the money from that increased productivity would go into general revenue, that won't stop people whinging about the cost).

Australia is a rich country - of course we can afford the NDIS! If Abbott's mob lacked the courage to lie in this instance, I can only say it's a shame their cowardice wasn't more widespread!

Estelles

You are mixing me (the current author) up with another Brendan O'Reilly, who is a respected former senior NSW public servant. I never "used to preside over the state's shambolic disability department", as you allege. Lots of people can share the same name.

Brendan

Federal government funds private schools more than state schools. It should be the other way round,
Aidan,
Unfortunately, with the standard of teachers in the public system, the Government gets more for it's Dollars from private schools. The notion of free education for all is seriously flawed. It has to be free education for those capable of learning.

Individual -
Even if that's true, which I very much doubt, it's a state problem which the current federal funding arrangements discourage state governments from fixing.

More Fed education funding goes to the private sector. More state education funding goes to the public sector.

There are historic reasons for that but it does create distortions. The fact is however that, overall, a kid in the public system receives significantly more government funding than a kid in the private sector.

School vouchers would resolve all such anomalies and disputes and would most likely significantly improve the overall quality of education - provided parents were able to use the voucher wherever they felt it best suited their child.