Greg Melleuish & Zachary Gorman, ‘A big step in Australia becoming a plural society’ The Goulburn Catholic School Strike and the State Aid Dilemma
The issue of State Aid for independent schools was once one of the most divisive in Australian politics. When the advent of ‘free, compulsory, and secular’ education in the 19th century spelled the end of government support for denominational schools, Australia’s Catholic community resolved to maintain their own schools as a matter of identity, culture, and pride. Meanwhile, informed in part by sectarianism and prejudice, the Protestant majority became equally determined that no government money should go into assisting these schools, leaving what was a relatively impoverished section of Australian society to fend for themselves all while paying taxes for the public system. It was Robert Menzies, a Presbyterian with a fierce distaste for religious bigotry, who cut through this gordian knot of education policy and in doing so helped to bring the nation together.
In this week’s episode of the Afternoon Light podcast, Robert Menzies Institute CEO Georgina Downer talks to Professor Greg Melleuish and Dr Zachary Gorman about the long history of the State Aid issue and how Menzies and his successors came to solve it.
Professor Greg Melleuish is the Robert Menzies’s Institute’s first Professorial Fellow. Greg is a Professor in School of Humanities and Social Inquiry at the University of Wollongong, where his teaching interests range from political theory, Australian politics, ancient history and world history. Greg is an expert on Australian liberalism and conservatism, and has long been respected as one of the leading figures in this field. Greg is the co-author of the book The Forgotten Menzies (Melbourne University Press, 2021), which is the latest of many books he has produced throughout his career. Greg has published widely in the area of Australian political ideas and intellectual history.
Dr Zachary Gorman is a professional historian who has specialised in the history of Australian liberalism. He has been working as a researcher and academic since 2013, including several years at the University of Wollongong where he received his PhD. He has authored two books: Sir Joseph Carruthers: Founder of the New South Wales Liberal Party, which traces how Australian liberalism came to sit on the centre-right of politics, and Summoning Magna Carta: Freedom’s Symbol Over a Millennium, an examination of the importance of history & culture in securing individual rights. He is also the editor of The Young Menzies: Success, Failure, Resilience 1894–1942 due for release from Melbourne University Press later this year.