“ In Australia's case, immigration seems to play a key role that it cancels out factors that we don't do so well on (like income inequality and early childhood education). Immigrants, especially if they're chosen for their language skills and employability, tend to be more upwardly mobile than the broader population - so Australia's overall performance reflects our relatively high intake.”

“Seems to” does it? I wish the people who write these articles would be precise, or at least give us a reference where claims such as this can be checked. The last official figures I saw on immigration showed that it had no net effect on anything and now, with climate change our diminishing water and poor infrastructure, immigration must be regarded as threat, not an advantage.

And, if migrants tend to be more upwardly mobile than Australians, how the hell is that helping?

It's helping Leigh, because it means the immigrants are working hard and contributing to Australia.
Your attitude reeks of an attitude that the world owes you - and here I thought conservatives were all for 'aspirational' attitudes.

Great article, which articles my foremost concern for Australia.

We are racing headlong into the American way of life, including in the education sphere.

US school boards hire their own staff.

Victoria ditched centralised hiring of government school teachers in 1992. The principal is responsible for hiring the schools staff. This allows the principal to attract staff who are sympathetic to the schools culture and the principal's vision. This is coupled with a high proportion of teachers on contract. Contract staff do not get holiday pay unless they have work in the following term. Its common for young teachers to collect their final pay on December 21 and be rehired on 27 January and it takes about 10 years to get a permanent position.

In US quality of education depends on local school board.

Ditto in Melbourne, families will rent in the Balwyn, Camberwell and McKinnon school zones.

The US has mass higher education.

Victoria has embraced mass higher education also and as the factories close there are very limited opportunities for girls who don't continue in education. There is always labouring for boys. Even nursing and child care assistants have to have certificates these days.

There is wide variation between quality of education between Ivy-league universities and community colleges. TAFEs are comparable to community colleges.

In Australia there are very few university scholarships and limited interest in positive discrimination in awarding scholarships to able students who would otherwise not have the opportunity to study there.

Americans believe that poor people have done something wrong because they are not rich.

The Australian perception that we live in a land of opportunity, belief in low unemployment and belief that poor people are wallowing in their poverty entrenches and disenfranchises those flipping hamburgers in menial low paid jobs for the whole of their working life.
Australian Council Of Social Services studies consistently show entrenched intergenerational poverty is rampant here.

TurnRightThenLeft,

You really take the prize as the epitome of a left-wing idiot. Yes, I did read your silly post on the Pink Vote - just what I would have expected from you, and the main reason I generally ignore you.

But, in this instance, I just feel like telling you that a gnat makes you look intelligent, and I hope one day you will choke on something -e.g.your head; provide that your head is smaller than your mouth, which I suspect it is.

Nice, Leigh. Very nice.

If that was an attempt to persuade anyone that deep down, you're not an embittered individual who in lieu of competent arguments instead resorts to hate filled rhetoric, then I suggest you go back to the drawing board.

play together nicely, children