School vouchers: choice and ‘empowerment’

The great advantage of differential vouchers is good services would flow to the areas where parents having larger sum vouchers - the lower socio-economic suburbs - whereas now they flow only to parents who can afford them.

Turning to the politics of vouchers: the weight of education unions make this reform difficult for Labor. For the Liberal Party it is different story. Education Minister Julie Bishop has indicated a fondness for vouchers. She says, “I am quite supportive of the notion of vouchers across the board. Vouchers that give parents control and choice appeals to me.”

And yet the public should have scepticism of a conservative Coalition voucher program. It is unlikely that a Coalition approach to vouchers would support differential payments to the extent of empowering the less well-off children to have significant choice and options in their education. A move to a voucher-based system must be matched up to additional resources from the Federal Government.

Further resources will promote the best access opportunities for more people and will not create losers. If resources are allocated more directly to those with greatest need as well, it is a system with real improvement. The public will more heavily support a system that provides the best access for the greatest number - especially one based on competition and choice for more parents.

Differential vouchers can solve an age-old dilemma: that only wealthy people have real choice and less wealthy people do not. Differential vouchers are the solution.