A rare coalition of heavyweight Labor and Liberal advisers has been formed to protect Catholic education funding in the run-up to the next multi-billion dollar national funding agreement. Source: The Australian.
Former federal Liberal director Brian Loughnane has joined the board of the Victorian Catholic Education Authority alongside its chairman James Merlino, the former Victorian Labor deputy premier.
The VCEA also has engaged as a consultant former Liberal MP and schools’ boss Stephen Elder to help advise funding battles with the federal and Victorian governments.
Catholic dioceses across Australia are concerned the rising influence of the Greens and other leftist groups such as unions hostile to the Church will have more influence in the next federal Parliament if the Albanese Government is pushed into minority.
The concern is that the next federal government will be lobbied heavily to cut back on Catholic and independent school funding, which has been at the centre of a culture war for decades.
Negotiations will start in earnest for the new federal funding arrangements for the post-2029 period in the next government term.
Mr Loughnane has broad political contacts across the major parties, having been Liberal federal director from 2003 to 2016, but also engaging with both sides of politics on key issues after leaving the chief campaign role.
In Victoria, there is growing angst over the way the Labor Government has imposed punitive measures affecting Catholic schools, including payroll tax changes and excluding most families in Catholic schools through the $400-a-student School Savings Bonus.
VCEA chief Elizabeth Labone said Mr Loughnane’s elevation to the authority board would bolster its mission to support the faith’s schools.
The Catholic sector plans to hit back against what it claims are “false and divisive narratives” around school funding, especially by the peak union.
FULL STORY
Key Liberal and Labor figures unite to fight Catholic school funding cuts (By John Ferguson, The Australian)
