The campaign for the 2010 Federal Election has begun, with Julia Gillard asking the Governor General to issue writs for an August 21 poll. The needs of students with disabilities, fair funding and the protection of religious freedoms head the list of election issues for Christian schools.

The campaign comes at an important time for schools, with the Funding Review initiated by Julia Gillard as Minister now underway. The review will report well into the term of the next government.

It is important that the major parties make firm commitments to the policy principles they will bring to their consideration of the Review’s recommendations.

Both parties have stated their support for school choice, backed by a needs-based funding formula. This is very welcome indeed.

The most important and urgent funding need is to end the discriminatory funding which denies students with disabilities real choice, and causes heartache and hardship for their families.

For the first time a major party has made a specific and “unequivocal” commitment to address this issue, with the Shadow Minister Christopher Pyne’s very welcome announcement at the Christian Schools National Policy Forum in May this year. Delegates will recall that while acknowledging the issue, Julia Gillard was not able to make the same commitment when asked. This election campaign is the opportunity for her to do so.  CSA would like to see a commitment from both sides to provide additional funding towards this need before the next quadrennium – it simply cannot wait.

Both major parties have, one way or another, indicated that schools would not lose funding under a future formula, although the way in which this would be effected is the critical lacking detail.  CSA’s position is that schools should be treated equitably regardless of their sector or system status.

Capital funding for schools - specifically the BER - will undoubtedly feature heavily in the campaign. For Christian and other independent schools this has been a very successful and effective programme, which has been very well utilised through local governance, with oversight. The debate over this programme should not detract from discussion about meeting present and future needs for growth.

Despite the great benefits of teh BER in bringing forward much needed school improvements, the need to meet present and future demand is still evident. As CSA recently told the Funding Review Panel the demand for growth in Christian school is high. Enrolments among the CSA membership has grown at an average annual rate of 9.7% since 2002.

Our sector is very well placed to help meet the need for new schools in population growth areas, and ensure school choice is available to a wide cross section of the community. Ongoing capital funding assistance from the Commonwealth - either in direct grants, intrerest subsidies or tax offsets - is critical to help meet this need.

Christian schools will also want to hear specific commitments from parties and candidates to maintain the principles of religious freedom in staffing, curriculum and school practice. We will be asking for specific commitments during the campaign.

The potential for greater Greens dominance in the Senate should cause concern, as that party has not proved to be supportive of independent schools, and has taken positions which are directly counter to the interest of Christian schools.

The major parties must give firm undertakings not to trade away their stated support for school choice in order to win concession in the Senate.

CSA will be providing briefings and other material to assist member schools during the campaign.