A clear danger to Catholic school autonomy

THE Catholic Education Office, and its director Stephen Elder, are justified in warning Catholic voters in this weekend's Victorian by-election about the dangers of electing a Greens candidate to the state electorate of Melbourne.

In addition, the federal member for Melbourne, Adam Bandt, is wrong to argue that Greens policy is friendly to Catholic and other faith-based schools.

While the Greens Party likes to present itself as mainstream and reflecting sensible and balanced policies the reality is -- as noted by George Pell some years ago when he compared the party to watermelons -- that while the party might be green on the outside, it is revolutionary red on the inside.

In the 2010 book The Greens: Policies, Reality and Consequences, I wrote a chapter analysing the national party's education policy and concluded that it represented a clear and present danger to the autonomy and viability of Catholic and independent schools.

Similar to the hit-list of so-called wealthy private schools taken by Mark Latham to the 2004 federal election, the Greens argue that funding to such schools should be cut, ignoring the fact that the present funding model is already based on need and that such schools only receive approximately 13.5 per cent of what government school students receive in terms of recurrent funding.

Hostility towards Catholic schools is further evidenced by policies directed at undermining the autonomy such schools have over who they enrol and who they employ and forcing schools to teach a curriculum inimical to the church's teachings.

As expected, the education policy posted on the Victorian site mirrors what is argued at the national level. Similar to the misleading and partisan campaign by the Australian Education Union to cut funding to non-government schools, the Victorian Greens Party argues that present funding arrangements are "unequal" and implies that funding must be re-directed to government schools at the expense of non-government.

Ignored, and contrary to the myth perpetrated by the AEU and the Greens Party, is that the inequality in relation to funding relates to non-government and not to government schools. On average, while government schools receive $13,544 per student non-government schools only receive $6850 in government funding.

Also ignored is that if the Greens are able to implement their policy of reducing present levels of funding to the 2003-04 levels then non-government schools will lose millions and, as a result, more parents will face financial hardship. In relation to Victorian Catholic schools, based on 2003-04 funding and numbers of students, if the Greens have their way schools will suffer a 40 per cent reduction and, as a result, lose approximately $600 million in funding, amounting to $3000 a student.

The 60s cultural revolution might be a dim memory for most but, it's clear those responsible for the party's education policy share the same hippy, socialist-inspired ideology. Competition between schools is bad, assessment and testing must "support learning" (code for banning the fail word and allowing all to be winners) and schools must "redress any disadvantages faced by individuals and groups in society".

The belief that schools, both secular and state, must become instruments of the state to promote equality of outcomes is best illustrated by the requirement that they must adopt "non-discriminatory staff recruitment and enrolment polices".

At present, Catholic and other faith-based schools are exempted from anti-discrimination laws in relation to the students they enrol and the staff they employ. Naturally, given one of the key responsibilities of such schools is to remain true to their religious beliefs it is widely accepted that schools have the right to manage their own affairs in such matters.

Not according to the Victorian Greens Party whose Sexual Orientation and Gender Identity Policy, in relation to gay, lesbian, bisexual, transgender and intersex persons, argues that the 1995 Equal Opportunity Act be amended to "remove exemptions for religious organisations to discriminate on the grounds of sexual orientation or gender identity".

The policy to normalise GLBTI lifestyles is further evidenced by the requirement that schools be made to teach a "core primary and secondary educational curricula aimed at addressing forms of discrimination based on sexual orientation or gender identity" and that the Victorian Education system accept and promote "family diversity".

Education, both in Victoria and across the nation is at a tipping point in relation to issues like school funding and the curriculum. The commonwealth government is rolling out a national curriculum that will be imposed on all schools, as a condition of continued funding, and the socioeconomic status funding model is due to expire.

The Greens Party, both at the state and national level, is committed to reducing funding to Catholic and independent schools, undermining the autonomy and flexibility they have to follow their religious beliefs and to impose a radical, cultural-Left curricula on schools.

Increasing the political power of the Greens by electing a member to the Victorian Parliament will only add to the danger that the party's polices will be implemented and, as a result, that non-government school students and their parents will suffer.

Kevin Donnelly is director of Melbourne-based Education Standards Institute and the book The Greens: Policies, Reality and Consequences is published by Connor Court.