Total government spending for each Victorian government school student in 2005-06 was $10,352. Total spending for each non-government school student was almost half that figure — $5614. Independent school parents pick up the difference and in Victoria they are going to have to make an even bigger sacrifice.

The Rudd Government’s push for greater transparency in the performance of schools has been widely read as copycat politics. Successive Liberal ministers were determined to “out” poorly performing schools. How is Kevin Rudd different?

Federal Education Minister Gillard claims the debate about resourcing is over. She echoes political opponents who haven’t given a damn about educational equity since the Menzies era. The debate, according to Rudd and Gillard, is now about values and tough love — which means tough times for many government schools.

The Education Minister has weathered a week of flak since detailing her proposal last Monday, when she explained that the aim of gathering and publishing such data was to help governments better allocate resources and to give parents more information about schooling options for their children.