Education is arguably one of the most important election issues along with the economy and health. Despite being in opposition in every state, the Liberal Party has failed to enunciate a new education strategy. The party has to differentiate itself from Labor if it intends to win back office.

Education vouchers are an obvious policy to pursue for a number of reasons. First of all a voucher system supports the central liberal belief of choice, in this case with regard to education, which has to be encouraged. Secondly, parents will spend education money more effectively compared to government. Thirdly, with competition, academic standards will inevitably rise across the board. Finally and perhaps most importantly the teachers’ unions and their progressive agenda will be destroyed, something we should all support.

Now to my first point, education vouchers encourage individual choice. At the moment state governments spend tax money on both government and private schools. Government schools are either free or very inexpensive whilst private schools are inaccessible to many. The problem here is state governments spends people’s money for them, often wasting money on failing state schools or already rich private schools. With education vouchers state government spending will cease and the tax money will be evenly allocated. The vouchers will have a monetary value and can be used at any school. The vouchers will fully fund education at a public school and be able to pay part of a private education if the parents wish. Education vouchers will allow parents who presently cannot afford private education the opportunity so send their children to a private school. Vouchers effectively end the government monopoly on education funding and create choice.

Parents, not governments, should spend money on education because it directly affects them. The people in government who allocate funding are not directly affected by where the money goes. Often money is spent on failing schools without government bureaucrats knowing it. Money is also wasted on private schools and elite public schools where it is not needed. Parents and their children suffer from this because bad teachers keep their jobs and academic results fall.  However if education vouchers are given to parents they are empowered to move schools if they choose. The result is money will be better spent by parents who won’t be forced to send their children to failing schools.

Academic standards in both private and public schools will inevitably improve as a result of vouchers. With vouchers, teachers and school administration will finally be held accountable for their performance. Competition for funding will be created and schools will no longer be able to rely on nearby students attending. Parents will want to send their children to schools with high academic results so teachers will be held accountable. Schools will have to hire good teachers in order to attract funding. Realistically there will be fewer schools with vouchers; however the schools will be better because failing schools won’t be propped up by government money. Competition always results in better outcomes and education would be no different.

Finally teachers’ unions will lose their influence over government spending and policies. Particularly with state Labor governments, teachers’ unions are able to influence school curriculum and entrench ideological bias. Australian history for example asserts aborigines were systematically murdered by settlers. In English students are encouraged to interpret Shakespeare’s Hamlet through a Marxist-feminist lens. Finally in International Studies, the United Nations is depicted as the guarantor of peace whilst the United States is shunned for invading Iraq. With parents controlling school funding unions will no longer be able to recommend government spending on failing schools with poor teachers and their influence on curriculum would be diminished.

In conclusion the voucher system is an ideal policy for the Liberal Party to pursue. The policy fits the party’s ideology and would directly benefit parents, students and good teachers. As an added bonus education standards would improve with the introduction of competition between schools. Only bad teachers and teachers’ unions would oppose the reform. Both groups want the status quo to continue because it guarantees them pay. Furthermore teachers’ unions want to further corrupt secondary education with their socialist agenda. The Liberal Party should seize the initiative with vouchers and make it a policy platform for re-election in upcoming state contests.