Letters

State Aid

George Caruana JP

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I wish to comment on the article by Cardinal Pell, "Catholic education: triumph over adversity" (July AD2000).

It is claimed that the first State Aid breakthrough occurred with the Menzies Coalition Government's funding of science blocks in 1963. In fact assistance for science blocks first came in 1962-1963 from the NSW Labor Government led by Premier Bob Heffron, who was then also Minister for Education and Science. All Menzies did was to borrow the Heffron policy.

On another note, the late Dr Jim Cairns, a minister in the Whitlam Labor Government of 1972-1975, supported State Aid. If it had not been for Gough Whitlam and his Minister for Education Kim Beazley setting up the Commonwealth Schools Commission, we would not enjoy the State Aid benefits we have today.

GEORGE CARUANA JP
Kensington, NSW

Reprinted from AD2000 Vol 17 No 8 (September 2004), p. 15