ABSTRACT
Successive governments have followed the logic of neoliberalism by privileging the private sector. As public education expanded in the 20th century, the broad settlement that emerged was based on the principle of universalism, meaning that in relation to public education it is the state’s responsibility to provide free, compulsory and secular public schools in every community in Australia. The principle of entitlement in education is based on the idea that since people who opt to send their children to private schools are taxpayers, private schools are as entitled to receive money from the government as are public schools. In April 2010, then-Education Minister Julia Gillard announced the long-promised review of schools funding, headed by influential businessman David Gonski. The schools funding debate in Australian education has been shaped by neoliberal ideology. In turn it has been one of the factors that has helped to produce all the conditions needed to create a privatising dynamic in public education.
