Letter
Education funding is establishing religion
Qualifying for enrolment at religious schools requires a demonstration of commitment. In other words, religion has become a requirement for receiving a well-funded education – a clear breach of Section 116 of the Constitution, that says, “The Commonwealth shall not make any law for establishing any religion, or for imposing any religious observance.. " Any religion or religious observance!
The Commonwealth funding of religious schools also works against laws concerning multiculturalism and discrimination. It is currently funding schools that entrench mistrust of other religions, creating biased beliefs that will divide our society for years to come.
To make matters worse, it has created an inefficient education system that prohibits proper planning and resource allocation – not to mention a costly transport problem, whereby children have to be subsidised to travel to distant schools, with all the extra traffic congestion and carbon pollution that creates. In a word, it is insanity.
— Tom Orren from Wamberal