The fair go is fact, not political platitude

A 2011 Smith Family study revealed that almost a third of the children of fathers who stayed at school until Year 10 or below gain university qualifications, while more than 50 per cent attain a post-secondary qualification of some kind.

At the same time, slightly more than one in four children of fathers with the lowest status jobs (blue-collar labourers) work their way into the highest status jobs (white-collar professionals). And fewer than 30 per cent of the children of fathers with the lowest status jobs end up with those jobs as adults.

By ensuring that humble beginnings are not a barrier to success, the fair go also guarantees Australia's strong performance in international measures of social mobility.

With approximately 41 per cent of the children of parents who did not complete high school pursuing tertiary education, Australia is almost 10 percentage points ahead of its closest OECD competitor and more than 20 percentage points ahead of the OECD average.

As well as being a world leader in providing educational opportunities for the disadvantaged, Australia has high levels of earnings mobility compared to other leading industrialised countries.

OECD research shows that the earnings advantage conferred by wealthy fathers is only slightly higher in Australia than the social democratic Nordic countries, and approximately half the rate of the United States, France and the United Kingdom.

Notwithstanding the dynamism of Australia's meritocracy, it would be naïve to assume that entrenched disadvantage is a thing of the past.

A large body of evidence confirms that children from families receiving income support, for example, are more likely to leave school early, face unemployment, have children at a young age, and receive income support themselves.

Although some segments of the community still suffer from intergenerational disadvantage, Australia overall remains a resounding fair go success story.

Before we succumb to fears that Australia's commitment to the fair go is fraudulent, we should remember that success is still built on ambition and ability, not pedigree.

Far from an empty political platitude, the promise of a fair go for all is the defining feature of contemporary Australia-the experiences of the thousands of disadvantaged Australians who enter the ranks of the wealthiest and best educated are testament to this.