DavidJS “How about the co-dependency of private schools, including some of the wealthiest in the country, on taxpayer funding?”

Oh hardly. Simple principle “no taxation without representation”. If I am levied tax and charges for a government provided service, I am entitled to participate in the benefits services provided - just like the medicare system.

“Blame it on society” – I did not read that into what he was saying I read it that the education process, with a much of a generation of leftie-limp-wristed-inadequates working as teachers, the problem is entrenched – just like that teachers union idiot who wanted to only teach a “socialist politically directed” syllabus

I quote from Kevin Donnelly’s article, presented here 29th January 2004

“since the late 1970s, teachers unions such as the AEU have been captured by the Left…..
Anyone familiar with the union’s 1993 and 1988 curriculum policies will know that the union has long viewed Australian society as inequitable and socially unjust. Education, in the words of the Marxist theorist Louis Althusser, is part of the "ideological state apparatus" and those advocating change must "take the long march through the institutions".
As former Victorian premier and education minister Joan Kirner has argued, education has to be reshaped "so that it is part of the socialist struggle for equality, participation and social change, rather than an instrument of the capitalist system". That the AEU embraces a politically correct view of the world can be seen by its views on assessment.”

I care less about your leftwing policy desires than you do about my rightwing views.

I can live my lifestyle (model) without your ineffective efforts or input and I rely on you in no way.

Conversely, your “model” demands excessive tax levies on my efforts and would cap my "reward" at the same level of that made provided for the intellectually and attitudinally inadequate.

We are both equal when it comes to voting and I will fight with my vote against your views forever.

Dear Col Rouge,

Taxpayer funding to private schools is most unusual in the western world, we are one of the very few countries to do it.

Most countries look at it this way. The tax payer provides a fully subsidised free place for every child in the community, those who choose not to use it pay for their child to attend a private school.

Tax is not a savings scheme, you don't put money in so that you can directly use it, otherwise we would all only pay for the roads we personally drive on, the trains we catch and the hospitals we go to.

At the moment, someone who sends their child to a private school and then decides, for whatever reason that they don't want it any more ( perhaps they can't afford the fees any longer, their kid is expelled, or hates it, or they don't like what's being taught) can access a guaranteed place at their local public school for their child, that is the right of every tax payer. (68% of the current year 11 at my kid's public school have come from private schools, a drift never talked about, interestingly enough.)You may not choose to use a public school, but you can change your mind any time you like. But it does not work the other way around. Just because my taxes go to private schools doesn't mean my kid can attend one, especially if I can't afford the fees. So, many tax payers, particularly the poorer ones, are contributing taxes to schools that would never accept their child.

Even more galling, they sometimes watch their taxes go towards more and more salubrious resources at schools their kids can never attend.

If we're going to talk about the rights that flow from paying taxes, its important to think it through.

I refer you to the following link
http://www.ctredpol.org/vouchers/privateschoolfundingapp.pdf
Are public funds used to finance private schools

Australia – yes
Austria – yes
Belgium – yes
Canada – yes (generally by state)
Denmark – yes
Finland – yes
France – yes when complying to contract rules
Germany – yes
Greece – No – although ministerial discretion and pupil direct financial assistance available
Iceland – yes
Ireland – yes
Italy – partial depending on availability of public schooling
Luxembourg – yes
Netherlands – yes
New Zealand – yes
Norway – yes but very small sector V public schooling
Poland – yes
Portugal – yes
Spain – yes
Sweden – yes
Switzerland – not stated
UK – depends on circumstance – but some do
USA – yes

So – enaj

“Taxpayer funding to private schools is most unusual in the western world, we are one of the very few countries to do it.”

Based on the list of 23 countries above, only Greece does not fund private schools in any way and for Switzerland the funding regime was not stated – the other 21 do – so your statement is clearly a lie.

Note USA was not part of the report but funding is provided (among confusion about church v state)

As for “Most countries look at it this way. The tax payer provides a fully subsidised free place for every child in the community, those who choose not to use it pay for their child to attend a private school.”

My response to your post – For building an argument such a statement has the reasoning and structural quality of fairyfloss, Your post is intended to support a preconceived political view which is as easy to disprove as your claim that “Taxpayer funding to private schools is most unusual in the western world”

As for “If we're going to talk about the rights that flow from paying taxes, its important to think it through.”

As well as “thinking things through”, some thought and consideration should be given to “getting the basic facts” first, otherwise everything which follows is pure “crap”