Greens race to mend education conflict

THE Greens were scrambling last night to resolve a damaging by-election feud with Victoria's Catholic hierarchy.

THE Greens were scrambling last night to resolve a damaging by-election feud with Victoria's Catholic hierarchy over the minor party's published policy to peg federal funding for private schools at 2003-04 levels.

Acting federal Greens leader Adam Bandt and his office were forced to contact Catholic schools in the Melbourne by-election catchment area to clarify the party's policy on private-education funding.

The party's website states that the Greens would support the maintenance of total federal funding for private schools "at 2003-04 levels" with the caveat that it be indexed for inflation.

This prompted Catholic Education Office director Stephen Elder to endorse the Labor candidate Jennifer Kanis, saying the ALP was the only party to commit to fair funding for Catholic schools.

The issue has the potential to affect thousands of voters in the knife-edge by-election and sparked a furious response from the Greens.

Mr Bandt told The Australian the party's "updated position" was now to call for the full implementation of the Gonski review into education, which he said would lead to more funding for non-government schools.

The Gonski review, which backs funding for non-government schools on the basis of their estimated capacity to generate private income, has also received a mixed reception from some private schools, which claim it is unworkable.

Mr Elder said yesterday that the Greens' position was clear and that Catholic schools would suffer under its agenda.

"It's as clear as anything," Mr Elder told The Australian.

In a letter to parents in the Melbourne by-election area, Mr Bandt accused Mr Elder of failing to contact him before backing Labor.

"Mr Elder did not ask the Greens for our position before sending his letter, so I am writing to set the record straight," he wrote.

"The Greens want to increase funding to schools. The Greens have been the only party to unequivocally back the Gonski review recommendations on school funding, released by the (federal) government earlier this year, which would see an across-the-board $5 billion schools funding boost.

"It is the schools that deal with disadvantage that would be the biggest winners under the Gonski review."

Voters in the state seat of Melbourne will go to the polls for the by-election tomorrow, which is being contested by Ms Kanis and the Greens' Cathy Oke.

Labor notionally holds the seat with a two-party-preferred lead over the Greens of 6.2 per cent.

There are 16 candidates fighting for the seat, which became vacant after the resignation of former Labor Minister Bronwyn Pike.

A ReachTEL poll published by The Australian this week revealed Ms Oke had a slight lead on first preferences but that the flow of preferences would decide the winner.

The Liberal Party is not contesting the seat.