Letters

State Aid (letter)

George Caruana JP

Contents - Nov 2004 - Buy a copy now Editorial: The challenge for Christianity today - Peter Westmore Ad limina: The Pope calls for strong leadership from New Zealand's Bishops - Michael Gilchrist News: The Church Around the World British Catholic writers call for a better Mass translation - AD2000 Report Orthodoxy: Anglican Synod 2004: Are liberal Anglicanism's days numbered? - Rev Nigel Zimmerman Deer Park: Transforming our secular culture: the role of women - Marcia Riordan Liturgy: Ad-libbing in the Mass: Does it really matter? - John Young Education: Where secular humanism is triumphing over the Gospel - Fr John Walter Morning Mass: Finding some 'head space': an alternative approach - David Birch Obituary: RIP Michael Davies - The passing of a true defender of the Faith - Michael Foley Letters: The Passion of the Christ (letter) - Arnold Jago Letters: Abortion issue (letter) - Greg Byrne Letters: Reporting abuses (letter) - E. Makaus Letters: Real Latin (letter) - Matt Bruekers Letters: Pastoral problems (letter) - Fr Frank Brennan SJ Letters: Crisis of faith (letter) - Errol P. Duke Letters: Young Catholics (letter) - Nola Viney Letters: State Aid (letter) - George Caruana JP Letters: Archbishop Mannix and State Aid (letter) - T.A. Rigg Letters: Extraordinary ministers of Communion (letter) - Leon Voesenek Letters: Unchanging Mass? (letter) - Fr G.H. Duggan SM Letters: Church teaching (letter) - Carmel Pittari Events: 4 Dec 2004 - International Movement of Catholic Students Australia (Victoria) Books: MARRIAGE UNDER FIRE, by James Dobson - Bill Muehlenberg (reviewer) Books: From East to West You Gather a People, by Fr Russell Hardiman - Brian Peachey (reviewer) Books: More new titles from AD Books Reflection: Saint Francis and the universal call to holiness - Fr Sebastian Camilleri OFM

Normally I don't reply to responses to my letters. However, Alan A. Hoysted (October AD2000) is wrong. When State Aid was being debated within the ALP Dr Cairns said that if all private schools were closed down there would not be enough public schools to accommodate the extra students and further that many of those attending private schools were children of working class people and were entitled to State Aid.

Catholic schools and all other schools owe the existence of State Aid to Gough Whitlam and his then Education Minister, Kim Beazley Snr, and not to the Democratic Labor Party. Whilst I agree the DLP did play a part in the acceptance of State Aid, it is the 1972-75 Whitlam Government which must be credited for its adoption.

GEORGE CARUANA JP
Bondi Junction, NSW

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 17 No 10 (November 2004), p. 15