Despite attempts to change their hard-line rhetoric against funding of non-government schools the Greens policy remains, at its core, strongly oppositional to the interests of Christian schools. In this commentary we examine recent suggestions that the Greens have softened their stance.

In the midst of an election campaign in which they hope to secure the balance of power, the Greens have begun saying something different about school funding.

Their published policy document contains provisions that would see money to non-government schools not only limited, but in some cases taken away and redistributed.

The Greens policy promises that non-government school funding would be 'de-coupled' from government school funding, and the total pool for non-government schools reduced to 2003-04 levels (plus inflation). In non-government schools the gap between government funding and the full cost of providing the education would get increasingly wider with fees reaching unmanageable levels, ending school choice for many families.

A softer approach? Hardly.

Recent media reports, however, have suggested a change. A Canberra Times report (6 August) suggested that the Greens "will no longer shift any funding from private to government schools, saying the mining tax and a carbon tax will mean there are plenty of resources to boost the public system". Bob Brown is reported to suggest that taking money from 'private' schools will no longer be necessary: "I won't be taking funding from the private school system to fund the public school system now that we have the mining tax alternative. It is a much better way to go," Senator Brown is quoted as saying.

CSA wrote to the Greens seeking a clarification of their policy. We did not get one. We specifically asked for a commitment to "the continuation in real terms of total funding to non-government schools of at least the current levels contained in the Budget forward estimates".

The response gives no such commitment. In fact, it makes no funding commitment at all in relation to non-government schools.

An email from Education Spokesperson (SA Senator) Sarah Hanson-Young makes it clear that the Greens policy remains very partisan indeed. "We believe that governments have a primary responsibility to ensure that the public education system meets the highest standards of excellence, so that all Australian children, regardless of where they live or their family income, can share that experience," she states. There is no corresponding commitment to fund the choice of parents for independent or systemic non-government schooling - no mention at all in fact. Instead, the response hides behind the simple factual statement that, in view of the commitments given by the major parties, the current funding system will continue through the next parliament, anticipates the forthcoming review, and suggests the current system is 'flawed'. It confirms that "the Greens will work for part of the revenue raised by a properly applied mining tax to be immediately diverted to public schools, distributed where the need is greatest".

It is very clear that the Greens policy on education funding continues to be partisan, divisive and against the interests of parents who wish to choose non-government schooling. When given the chance to indicate support for independent schools, they failed to do so. If given the chance of greater influence in the Parliament it is reasonable to conclude that the Greens would work against the principle of school choice.

Senator Brown's reported comment about 'not taking money from non-government schools to fund public schools' is simply too clever by half. The Greens position would clearly disadvantage non-government schools now, and increasingly into the future.

Beyond funding

In Christian and other religious schools there are additional, even more important, reasons to be concerned about any increase in the Greens' influence. The party's policy not only fails the school choice test, it fails the religious freedom test.

In recent years the Greens have repeatedly attempted to remove our legal protections in the state and commonwealth parliaments, and their policy is unchanged. The Greens would take away the ability of Christian, Jewish and Islamic schools to choose staff with beliefs in keeping with the religion of the school. This would not only frustrate parental choice, it would limit the free exercise of religion in a way Australia has not before contemplated.

A recent report (in The Age) suggest the Greens are divided internally over independent schooling, with journalist Michael Bachelard claiming to have seen an internal memo in which a Greens policy advisor is suggesting their school funding policy is 'making the campaign more difficult' forcing them to be defensive. The memo reportedly suggests that their current policy will make it difficult for the party to 'engage constructively on education in the new parliament'.

We would agree. Despite attempts to make it look shiny on the outside, their education policy is still rotten at the core.

Nothing other than a complete remake will prevent independent schools, particularly religious schools and their communities, from continuing to express outright rejection of the Greens' policy.