Economists consensus seems to have decreed that "economic Nirvana" is upon we blessed under Howard. What can we expect of this blissful situation? For instance can we expect that our taxes emananting from the economic nirvana might go towards paying for a publicly funded primary and secondary education system for our children and future Australians. Or Not? Minister Bishop today stated that the Government could not afford to provide the resources necessary for public education and suggested that schools seek corporate sponsorship etc.
My question is - is this reasonable?
Should our taxes not be returned to us in collectively funded services- should they be returned to electorally sensitive sections of the electorate in the form of baby bonusses and older person grants and tax refunding. THOUGHTS?

This year in NSW the state govt. will claim to spend 100's of millions on education that will not be spent on education but will merely be paper transfers between departments Worse still the Iemma government axed by up to 90% funds for IM kids in public schools last December; after forcing these same schools to integrate them into mainstream schooling.
You really want to give these bums more money??

Agree with you in your other examples. Vote buying middle-class welfare should be canned. Lower taxes and/or more infrastructure would be much better.

I pay the same taxes as others do yet I also choose to pay private school fees for my daughter. Is this reasonable? Because I do not take advantage of the government and therefore tax payer funded state school system should I not be on a lower tax bracket? I believe that in Canada, those who do pay private school fees pay lower taxes.
Am I losing out twice is this situation?
And am I getting a fair deal when my tax dollars are returned via baby bonuses of which I have never received and never will (my children were born in the non baby bonus era) or as grants to those sectors of the community I am not part of?

If you want to know where all the money has gone in NSW,just look to the bureaucrats.We have the most numerous and highly paid fats cats in the whole country for a state that is a complete shambles.We spend $7 billion pa on fat cats,this is well over $2000.00 for every working tax payer in this state at a time of superabundance of money and resources.NSW is stuffed and we have missed the gravy train of a minerals boom because of selfish,stupid,short sighted fat cats.

The $64,000.00 question is,"Will Federal Labor be any better?"

Dear Liz6t,
I have a child at a private school also but I do not want the state to subsidise my choice. The role of the state is to ensure that all children have access to an education by adequately funding the public education system. Lets not forget that 20% of Australian workers earn less than $30,000 per year. Add in the unemployed and those just over $30,000 and it is closer to 35%. These lowpaid workers have children who will never be able to access private education no matter what their needs.
Wont you feel better knowing that they have access to a decent public education and wont your children and Australia be better off for having an educated, fair system in which everyone has a chance instead of a country where only the rich have chances and the poor are left outside.
Brutus

Brutus,

I do agree that education needs to be a priority and available to all. However, I am classed as low income yet choose to send my daughter to a private school. I feel that a fairer scheme would be to ensure that those parents who do pay private school fees are given a small tax subsidy.