Education   

The LDP believes in restoring to parents both the right and ability to choose where to educate their children.

Its policies are aimed at ensuring schools compete with each other for students on the basis of quality and cost. The role of government should be to ensure the availability of a world-class education system, not involve itself in providing that education.

With appropriate transitional measures to reduce disruption and disadvantage, the LDP will convert ACT school education to a voucher-based system that combines superior educational outcomes with freedom of choice.

Background

Of all the states and territories in Australia, the ACT has the highest proportion of students enrolled in non-government schools. At the end of February 2007 the proportion was more than 40%.

In spite of the ACT Labor Government devoting considerable resources and effort into reversing the flow, the number of students moving from government to non government continues to grow.

The reason is that Canberra parents believe the quality of a non government education is superior to that provided by government schools. Government school advocates point out that ACT students achieve better academic results than their interstate counterparts, but Canberra parents are clearly voting with their feet when it comes to investing in their child's future.

The ability of non government schools to do more with less money is well established. In 2005/06, of all ACT Government high schools, Lyneham High was the most cost effective with an operating cost of $9,291 per student. This compares to Kaleen High at $13,642 per student.

Of the secondary colleges (years 11 and 12), Erindale College was the most cost effective at $10,848 per student while Copland College was least cost effective at $14,819 per student.

By contrast Daramalan College, a highly regarded non government school for years 7 to 12, is operating on a budget of $9,452 per student in 2008.

Increasingly, the community understands that the role of government in school education is to ensure that all children are educated. Where that education is received is a matter for parents to decide rather than politicians and public servants.

In this 2008 election the Liberals, Greens and Labor all have policies aimed at reversing the trend of parents choosing non government schooling. The LDP is the only party to argue that government policy should facilitate parental choice, irrespective of whether that favours government or non government schools.

Over the last 30 years all the major political parties have come to understand the benefits of reduced regulation and increased reliance on market forces. In the banking, aviation, telecommunications and utilities industries, the benefits are obvious. It is anachronistic not to apply the same approach to improving the quality and cost effectiveness of education.

The only thing that will attract parents back to government schools is the availability of a quality education. Schools should compete for students on the basis of quality and cost, with parents choosing where to send their children.

Ultimately the LDP believes the government ought to withdraw from providing school education. Over time, the LDP would convert government schools into locally owned cooperatives or privatise them in other ways. The focus of the government would be on ensuring educational standards are maintained and every child received a sound education.

The LDP supports:

• Freedom of parents to choose a school for their children.
• Progressive withdrawal of governments from the provision of education.
• Introduction of an education voucher system, with vouchers linked to students and transferable between any accredited public or private school.  An example of a voucher system can be found in Sweden.
• Regular accreditation of schools based on objective standards including facilities, accountability and performance.
• Reducing the role of government to setting and enforcing the rules by which schools are accredited, and facilitating the operation of market forces among education providers.
• Allowing failing schools to close or be taken over by better performing schools.
• Removing barriers to opening new schools.
• External literacy and numeracy testing of children, with publication of results for each student and school.
• Allowing schools to make their own decisions on staffing, curriculum design, teacher salaries, etc.
• Upgrading the teaching profession by recognising and rewarding good teachers, sacking bad teachers and improved training.

 Transitional Measures In The ACT

The LDP’s policy on education cannot be implemented overnight. An interim period would be required to ensure no child or parent suffered disadvantage.

The first step is to end the perception of  ‘free’ education in government schools. All schools should be able to charge fees. This would immediately lead to greater emphasis on value for money.

Parents would receive an education voucher to offset the cost of school fees. Vouchers would attach to the student rather than the school, allowing parents to move their children to any school they chose. Government schools would not charge significantly higher fees than the value of the voucher and may charge less in order to attract students.

The value of the voucher would start at approximately $2,000 and be progressively increased until it fully covered the cost of sending a student to an accredited government school (currently around $9,371.37). At the same time, direct payments to schools would be reduced by the same amount so that vouchers became increasingly significant as a source of revenue.

The total impact on the ACT Government budget would initially be neutral. However, as inefficiencies and excess bureaucracy were eliminated the amount available to schools would increase while overall expenditure decreased. This would allow a reduction in taxes. 

Prior to their conversion to independent education providers, school boards would be established in government schools comprised of teachers, parents and related parties. These would have the power to make decisions on staffing, curriculum design and teacher salaries.