Are independent public schools are good idea? Marking the federal Coalition's education policy.

A quick expert comment piece I wrote for the Election Watch website, putting the Coalition's long-anticipated education policy - including the controversial Independent Public School proposal - under the microscope.

If you'd like to know more about Independent Public Schools you can listen to my interview on the topic on Radio National's Life Matters program where I'm joined by the author of a report into Western Australia's initiative.  I also strongly recommend the latest book by Brian Caldwell, an academic guru on the subject and former Dean of the University of Melbourne's Education Faculty. (Disclaimer: I just discovered that he devoted two pages to discussing and endorsing my research on Victoria's 'self managing school' reforms and the influence of federalism.) A lovely compliment. Mine is the only study of these reforms from an intergovernmental perspective and you can read it here. 

Interested in ideas and Australian politics?

If so, you might be interested in my latest publication, a chapter in this just-released book Turning Left or Right: Values in Modern Politics. The book

"...breaks through the wall of sound bites and explores how century-old political philosophies connect to practical policy for the 21st Century.

Each chapter includes three essays from some of Australia’s most engaged political thinkers who explore contemporary policy issues, find the dividing lines and reinject values and ideas. Importantly, every author’s essay provides insight into the solutions they think are needed to make Australia a better country for future generations."

My chapter is on the role and benefit of multiculturalism, and I am joined on this topic (in a separate contribution) by former foreign minister Alexander Downer.

You can purchase a copy here. Delivery is free within Australia. Would make a marvelous Christmas present ;-)

School chaplaincy program returns to the High Court. This is good and unsurprising

This week we learnt that Ron Williams, the parent from Queensland who objected to federal government funding for school chaplaincy programs at his kids' school and other public schools, is returning to the High Court. He is challenging the Financial Framework Legislative Amendment that the federal government brazenly rushed through (in just a hours with support of all political parties) in response to the High Court's judgment on this matter last year. In a victory for federalism, the High Court had vehemently rebuked the federal government for exceeding its executive powers under the Constitution and for its unwarranted intrusion into state domains. This verdict put into question not only the chaplaincy program, but hundreds of other federal spending programs as well and was a major driver of the recently dumped "local government" referendum to extend Commonwealth spending powers.

As I argued last year in a paper (pp. 4-5) to the Australian Political Studies Association Conference, it was only a matter of time before this legislation was taken to the High Court, and if the Pape verdict and previous Williams verdict are anything to go by, it will most likely be struck down as unconstitutional. If this occurs, the federal government will be chastised and forced to reformulate the Chaplaincy program, among others, as tied grants with the states.

School autonomy - sorting myth from fact

More autonomy for schools is an education policy being championed by both Labor and the Coalition in the lead-up to the federal election. But does it result in a better education system?

In an extended election piece for The Age, education editor Jewel Topsfield takes a look at increased school autonomy. In doing so, she draws on an analytical piece I wrote on independent public schools published on Election Watch, in which I reassured folks on twitter that the Coalition is not planning to privatise public schools but rather grant them extra autonomy. I also explain that increased school autonomy, while controversial, has been on reform agenda since the Whitlam government days and all states have introduced elements of it to varying degrees. Topsfield's piece also refers to the Grattan Institute's recent and excellent report The myth of markets in school education. Interestingly, a fact she cites from this report - that the Kennett government devolved 93 per cent of Victoria's school education budget to individual public schools (on page 25 if you're interested) contains a footnote linking to my earlier research on these 'Schools of the Future' reforms and their ongoing relevance! (NB Once you click this link on Election Watch you'll need to scroll down a page or so to read my material education policies.)

Binning the local government referendum was a good idea

The announcement of a September 7 federal election means the referendum on local government financing cannot proceed on the same day. I argue (along with most federalism and constitutional scholars) that this is a good thing.

The proposed constitutional change was dressed up as a harmless update and feel-good recognition of local government. But it was completely unnecessary and posed a hornet’s nest of accountability problems with potentially deleterious affects on local governance, services and infrastructure.

Read more here, in my article published on The University of Melbourne's Election Watch website.

What is the future of Gillard's school reforms now that Rudd has returned as Prime Minister?

On the evening of June 26, just four days before the arbitrary end date of negotiations with state governments on the National Education Reform Agreement on which the Commonwealth Labor government's school reforms depend, Australians got a new (well, re-instated) prime minister when Kevin Rudd replaced Julia Gillard after a vote by caucus. In this analysis piece for The Conversation, I analyse what the change of prime minster might mean for the reform process.

Why I'm optimistic about school funding reform after COAG's 'no deal'

School funding reform was the big ticket item at the most recent Council of Australian Government's (COAG) meeting, held 19 April. The state and territory leaders failed to reach an agreement with Prime Minister Gillard on her National Plan for School Improvement, itself a response to the landmark Gonski Review of School Funding. As I argue in this piece for The Conversation, far from constituting failure, but opens up the opportunity for deeper, bilateral negotiations and flexible agreements with each state, with additional time for getting the details right. You can also read my piece for The Drum, published the morning of the COAG meeting, on why agreement on this was unlikely (Hint: the offer from the Commonwealth contained big question marks). Finally, if you missed me on ABC News24 discussing the COAG meeting as it was underway, you can catch it here. Ditto joining Radio National's 'Outsiders' Segment on Sunday Extra. It has been a real privilege to join the national conversation on such critical reforms and share my research on the institutions and processes underpinning them.

UPDATE: On 23 April NSW Premier Barry O'Farrell announced it had reached 'an historic agreement' with the Gillard Commonwealth government on reforms to school funding, which would occur in partnership. Some of my early thoughts can be read in this Conversation article, alongside eminent education policymakers Carmen Lawrence and Jim McMorrow. I also spoke at length with ABC 774 Melbourne and SYN FM radio about the prospects of agreements with the remaining states and territories.  Additional analysis found in podcast links on my publications page.

Can the "Gonski" reforms survive the federal-state squabble?

It's the question on everyone's lips and one that Maralyn Parker and myself were discussing on Radio National's Life Matters program. We were both optimistic about the reforms we agreed were vitally important, but differed in our perspectives of the best-case scenario. Here's the podcast. If you'd like to read more on the Gonski Review of School Funding and proposed education reforms from an intergovernmental and public policy perspective, you're most welcome to click here for some things I prepared earlier.

Policy made on the fly is likely to flop

Click here to read my latest article, published by The Conversation. It's on best practice policy making and discusses some recent duds. Here's a peek:

"The exacting set of processes suggested by the policy cycle does not guarantee perfect governing, but as Bridgman and Davis state, it does reduce the chance of “howling errors”, such as a revenue raising tax that fails to raise revenue and destabilises a government already under attack."

Latest academic papers: flexiblity, stability and innovation in Australian federalism

It's academic conference season and I have two offerings, both co-authored with Professor Brian Galligan. 'Australia’s federal system: Flexibility, change and schooling' was presented in a panel titled ‘Beyond stability: flexibility and innovation in federal systems’ at the International Political Science Association World Congress in Madrid. The second, on which I'm the lead author, will be presented in Hobart at the Australian Political Studies Association's annual conference and is called 'Schooling federalism. Gonski, Williams and reform prospects'. My speaking notes are here. Refereed paper available upon request.

Fixing education funding: Did Gonski get it right?

Will the landmark Gonski review change anything in Australian schools? Come along to this public forum organised by the Australian Fabian Society to hear passionate education reformers Maxine McKew, Frank Sal and myself.  It’s on April 18 at the Melbourne Conference Centre. More information and online registration here.

Joining The Conversation on politics, policymaking and education

The Conversation, a newish national online publication combining 'academic rigour with journalistic flair' has recently published two opinion articles of mine. The first, 'Hard-headed politics', discusses the role of experts in the policy making process using the controversial expert panel on asylum seekers as an example. The second piece, 'State stoush', is my latest on the landmark Gonski Review, outlining the challenges that lie ahead for any Australian government wishing to reform education arrangements. Of course, you can find these articles, and many more, by clicking the 'publications and media' link.

Intergovernmental relation on television

The Council of Australian Governments met on July 25th to discuss the establishment of a National Disability Insurance Scheme and education reform. I had pleasure of chatting to news program hosts about likelihood of intergovernmental reform on these contentious and costly proposals on both ABC  News24 and SkyNews. You can watch a clip from my ABC television interview here.

UPDATE: On September 2nd I spoke on ABC News24 about the Gillard Government's response to the Gonski Review. In short, the prime minister is caught between a rock and a hard place.

A ‘fair go’ in education? Insight on SBS

How fair is Australia’s education system? Are all children getting a fair go? These are the questions that Insight – Australia’s leading current affairs discussion program – will explore. I’m honoured to be joining educators, students, parents, Schools Minister Peter Garrett and other experts as a guest on the program. It will be broadcast on SBS on April second at 8:30pm. Click here to join the debate or here for more information on other guests and alternative viewing times.

UPDATE: Transcript now available.

Ignoring the Gonski Review's recommendations

My response to the Australian government’s much anticipated, two-year review into school funding. I highlight the fact that the government and all commentators have regretfully ignored the review’s central conclusions. Read it here on the ABC’s Drum Unleashed website.

Update: Misha Shubert, federal political editor for The Age and The Sydney Morning Herald newspapers discussed and quoted my article in her opinion piece. I also had the privilege of chatting on ABC radio about the Gonski review and other educational policies.

Australia's school funding quagmire

A feature by yours truly in The King’s Tribune, a newish national magazine covering politics, media and culture. Read it online.

PS It’s a brilliant magazine with cheap subscription rates, hint hint.

Guest lecture at the University of Melbourne

I was invited to give a guest lecture on federalism as part of the Australian Politics course at the University of Melbourne. A great honour and great fun. As well as covering the nuts and bolts of Australian federalism, how it’s changed over time, and some common critiques and reform suggestions, the lecture included seven political cartoons and two pictures of cake: layer and marble. Here are the slides and the speaking notes if you’re interested.

Uneek magazine

My work as a historian has been covered in a 4 page spread in the latest issue of Uneek magazine. Very exciting. My guess it that they liked it, because they’ve offered me a regular column. Uneek is the first multicultural magazine for Australian women of all backgrounds and ages and can be bought from newsagents across the country.

Mapping education ‘policyscapes’ in Australia, 1990-2010

I’m excited to be presenting in the above symposium as part of the Australian Association for Research in Education’s international conference. The symposium presents emerging findings from myself, Paul Gilby and Sean Butler on the multifaceted challenges of educational reform and governance at the federal, state, regional and school levels.  In a separate presentation, I’ll be sharing some of my comparative research on American and Australian school funding arrangements, undertaken during my time as a Visiting Scholar at Columbia University. The conference is being held 28 November – 2 December in Melbourne, and you can register or view the draft program by clicking here.

Malcolm Fraser launches my book!

The evening was a roaring success, with over 300 guests and wonderful speeches by  former PM Malcolm Fraser, Lindsay Tanner (Federal Minister for Finance and Deregulation), James Merlino (Victorian Minister for Multicultural Affairs), Nick Kotsiras (Shadow Minister for Multicultural Affairs), George Lekakis (Chairperson of the Victorian Multicultural Commission), Sam Afra (ECCV Chairperson) and, of course, myself.

My book, Many Hopes One Dream, uncovers the untold story of Australian multiculturalism – how it was shaped from the ground up by grassroots associations of migrants and refugees.

Based entirely on original research, including interviews with key players and unexplored government, organisational and media archives, Many Hopes One Dream is the first comprehensive study of the united ethnic movement, concentrating on the history and influence of the Ethnic Communities’ Council of Victoria – the oldest federation of migrant, ethnic, refugee and multicultural associations in Australia.

It is a story of the birth, development and evolution of the united ethnic movement. The story of its trials and triumphs, and how, despite formidable obstacles, it was able to shape the reality and institutions of multicultural Australia. It is published by Australian Scholarly Publishing.

Buy your copy of the book here.  For a foretaste, read my guest column in MUSSE: Melbourne University Staff/Student E-news.

Want more?  Here’s Lindsay’s speech, James’s speech, my speech from the launch.