It sounds nice. Having a choice.
But let’s examine that more deeply. Who, among us, has the most choices? The able bodied, those from higher SES backgrounds, the well-educated, the highly paid, the non-indigenous, those living in population centres, among other selective groups. Choice and equal opportunity are not the same thing.
The pro-‘Choice’ rhetoric by the Coalition… what does it really mean? We don’t know exactly what ‘Choices’ will be on offer as all will be revealed closer to an election. But where has ‘Choice’ been focussed? Private health care. Private schooling. Voluntary student unionism.
What is the current ‘Choice’ reality?
Based on figures from the Gonski report, Government schools cater for a disproportionate number of students from lower SES groups, and from all identified disadvantage groups.
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What about private health insurance?
Data from the ABS shows the top 25% of the population benefit to a far greater degree than the bottom 25%, and with a 30% rebate, the better the cover, the higher the benefit.
And the impact of providing ‘choice’ in relation to VSU has had the effect of reducing choice.
While impacts varied across campuses, the common impacts included:
· Loss of medical, welfare and social justice services
· Loss of tenancy advice and emergency housing support
· Loss of emergency loans services
· Reductions in Childcare, Indigenous support and Legal aid services
Labor will address these inequities in educational opportunity in its response to Gonski.
Health care reform is an on-going process which Labor is committed to. It doesn’t involve crippling primary health services and greatly reducing resources for community health programs… as the Newman Government has done, and seems intent on taking to even greater extremes.
It has addressed the issues the Howard Government created following the passage of the Higher Education Support Amendment (Student Services and Amenities) Bill
The Coalition has a great deal of form in this area, which largely points toward reducing choice for the disadvantaged, and privileging the already privileged. Providing so called choice when no choice exists is not fair, it’s not equitable, and it’s not the Labor party’s way. We’ll stick with providing opportunity over so called ‘Choice’.
What are your thoughts?