How can we possible justify giving $70 million of taxpayer’s money to Exclusive Brethren schools?
JULIA GILLARD: We, when we came to Government, had given a commitment that we would continue the school funding model for money for non-government schools operated by the former Howard Government because we wanted to give certainty for these four years. Then of course we’ve added to it with the new reforms that I’ve talked about, much of which is focused on disadvantaged schools… SIMON BEAUMONT: How can we justify giving $70 million to Exclusive Brethren schools? JULIA GILLARD: My attitude to this is: it’s all about the kids. There are kids in those schools that need resources and opportunities… SIMON BEAUMONT: But those schools encourage or discourage kids, we spoke to a teacher yesterday from a Brethren school, discourage their kids from going to university. The adult members of what your boss has called an ‘extremist sect’ encourage their members to drop out from mainstream society, to really perpetuate their own interests and their own commercial interests and yet we’re giving mone
