Privately Built Schools in Australia

One News had an excellent informative and non hysterical item tonight on how the NSW Labor Government has allowed the private sector to build and maintain schools, and lease them back to schools on a thirty year lease to own arrangement.

It’s proven so good in NSW, other states are taking it up.

What works so well for the schools, is they have a service level agreement with the owners, with financial penalties.  So the school is freed up to concentrate on the core task of educating students, and the private business takes care of the maintenace etc.

If graffiti lasts for more than an hour, the owner is penalised.  Likewise if mroe than x toilets are not working, they get fine.  So the building owner has a real incentive to provide first class service.

And the state auditor-general has calculated this partnerships will save the taxpayer $60 million.

So you have one party which says, hey if this model worked in NSW we’ll be at least open minded enough to try it and use it if it will result in better schools for our kids, at less cost.

And you have another party which swears they would rather die first than allow this to happen.

So which party is concerned about kids and which party is concerned about votes?