The Council for Defence of Government Schools was an Australian political lobby group and political party formed in 1966, which contested federal and state elections between 1969 and 1973 (with one outlying appearance in 1985). The group was primarily concerned with
public education
State schools (in England, Wales, Australia and New Zealand) or public schools (Scottish English and North American English) are generally primary or secondary schools that educate all students without charge. They are funded in whole or in pa ...
but also focused on
pension
A pension (, from Latin ''pensiō'', "payment") is a fund into which a sum of money is added during an employee's employment years and from which payments are drawn to support the person's retirement from work in the form of periodic payments ...
s and housing policy. The group was founded by activists opposed to
state aid
State aid in the European Union is the name given to a subsidy or any other aid provided by a government that distorts competitions. Under European Union competition law the term has a legal meaning, being any measure that demonstrates any of the ...
for
private schools, and although it achieved some significant results it never elected a representative to an Australian legislature.
Australian Council for Defence of Government Schools
'
The organisation achieved some historical notoriety with their
High Court case which argued unsuccessfully that Commonwealth funding of religious schools contravened
section 116 of the Constitution.
[.] which is now used as an example of the powers granted to the Commonwealth under
section 96 of the Constitution.
References
External links
Official website
Defunct political parties in Australia
Political parties established in 1966
1966 establishments in Australia
Political parties with year of disestablishment missing
{{Australia-party-stub