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Why Christian schools are an unstoppable train


Date Posted: 03-Nov-2009

Eternity is a new national Christian newspaper which launched last month. This article on Christian schools appeared in the first issue. We have reprinted to keep our school community aware of different thoughts and attitudes towards faith based schools.

"There has been a remarkable shift in attitude from Latham to Rudd in Labor’s approaches to Christian faith-based schools.

The cause of public schooling has had to be picked up by the more militant Greens, like a discarded red hanky. Why is it so? Is it the PM’s cheery Christianity? Has Julia Gillard gone soft? No, and no.

Australian governments like votes. Sensible governments try and keep them. The rise and rise of Christian faith-based schools in Australia is a runaway voting train. Look at the stats.

Out of a total of 3,171,624 Australian school students in 1997, 29.7% went to (almost exclusively Christian) faith-based private schools.

Ten years later, the number has grown to 33.6%, or a rise of around 4%. Not much? 206, 574 students, is much, much indeed. Assume each of these students has one and a half voting parents. That’s about 300,000 votes. Add in grannies and grandpas and friends, it jumps to 400,000 voters.

If we do the same with the 1997 figures, there was already a massive one and two thirds million odd voters who were likely to be defensive about faith-based schooling.

By 2008 this had jumped up to approximately a cool two million, rising steadily.

Association of Independent Schools NSW director, Dr Geoff Newcomb, says numbers look more radical at secondary level: “In some capital cities, the proportion of students attending non-government schools exceeds 40% and this increases to almost 50% at a senior secondary level.”

Out of a 2007 voting population of around thirteen and a half million, these are scary numbers, even to the most fearless Greens. Outspoken NSW MLC John Kaye told Eternity “The perceived wisdom ... amongst Labor decision makers is that Mark Latham failed to beat John Howard because he took on the private school lobby ... Skilful manipulation of the media has turned private school funding and policy into an effective no-go area for Labor.”

Julia Gillard is even more circumspect: “I want to reiterate the Government’s support for the full right of parents to choose the school that best meets the needs of their child.”

Geoff Newcomb asserts “these comments are a clear sign that the Government recognises the important role of independent schools in Australia.”

One hundred and fifty federal members are quietly trembling in their offices asking “what kind of impact could two million voters have if they all got upset?”

They could bring down a government."

by David Hastie
Reprinted with permission
Eternity Christian Newspaper


commented on 05-Nov-2009 11:22 AM
What is with this guy's end comment? "They could bring down a government." Is he suggesting that is the right path to be taken, a necessary action of Christians to open the eyes of Australians to Christ? Hmmm interesting. Hypocrisy at its finest.
MHHMM commented on 18-Nov-2009 09:16 AM
What is with this guy's end comment? "They could bring down a government." Is he suggesting that is the right path to be taken, a necessary action of Christians to open the eyes of Australians to Christ? Hmmm interesting. Hypocrisy at its finest. EXCUSE ME... THAT IS CALLED PLAGERISM. MHHMMM SHAME ON U

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