Cleaning the barnacles

Given the time constraints it will prove impossible to make any meaningful changes and that the only option, as argued by the Coalition education spokesman Christopher Pyne, is to continue the existing socioeconomic status model for another year.

That changes need to be made is beyond doubt.

The Australian Education Bill 2013, described by DEEWR as "all-encompassing", and the related National Education Reform Agreement will force every school across Australia to implement the ALP government's agenda.

As a condition of funding, government and non-government schools will have to implement a national curriculum, national testing, national system of accountability, national teacher registration and teacher training standards and whatever else the commonwealth government, or the minister, decides should be a priority.

Ignored is that by reinforcing and centralising the power of those education authorities and bodies responsible for Australia's current dumbed down curriculum and substandard teacher training will only exacerbate the problem and lead to ever lower standards.

Evidenced by the intention to establish a new commonwealth body to collect school performance data and to hold schools and teachers publicly accountable, the model is inputs/outputs driven, highly statist and based on the conceit that centralised authorities know how to improve outcomes and identify what is best for schools.

No wonder non-government school authorities, and even Tasmania's ALP Premier Lara Giddings, complain that the ALP's education model micromanages schools, duplicates what is already there at the state level and imposes costly and inefficient compliance costs.

As proven by the success of Australia's non-government schools, both in terms of academic results and increasing enrolments, there is an alternative. Instead of all roads leading to Canberra, governments should promote a more market driven approach; one based on autonomy, diversity and choice.

The popularity of Charter Schools in the USA and Free Schools in England show that diversity and local autonomy is preferable to centralised control. It shouldn't surprise that the New Zealand government recently passed Charter School legislation.

Unlike every government, Catholic and independent school across Australia that will have to dance to Canberra's tune, New Zealand Charter Schools will have freedom over staffing and the curriculum.

Charter Schools will not have to employ registered teachers, follow the national curriculum and will be exempt from the Official Information Act.

Now, that's a real education revolution and the opposite of what is occurring in Australia.