Principal's Message T2 W6 2022

A Peaceful Transition of Power

Thank God we live in a democracy.

Thank God that our governments can come into power and go out of power peacefully and without violence.

As we embark on a journey with a new political party in authority it is timely to remember that what we have just experienced is largely not the experience of billions around the world. Indeed, for the vast majority of the world’s population it is a very different experience. We live in rare air. And that includes many democracies.

It will be interesting to see what a change in government brings for us here at Faith. In Independent schools we are always a bit wary when the government swings one way or the other. Given we are significantly funded by Commonwealth monies it is easy for a change in federal government to affect our capacity to deliver affordable schooling.

I encourage you to watch this space closely. While independent schools have always enjoyed very good financial support from both Coalition and Labor governments the Greens do not share the same opinion. Their education policy clearly states that federal funding to independent schools should be scaled back, to zero in some cases. It goes on to say that independent schools should transition to public schools, albeit voluntarily. Sounds sinister, do what we want or lose your funding. I am not personally or professionally excited by the ‘greenslide’, nor should families of students in independent school communities be in my opinion. Put simply, they want us gone, or unfunded if we are to be here. With the balance of power in the Green’s hands, well, as I said above, I am always wary when governments change.

And you know what, that’s okay. The information is freely available. I am not going to be dragged off to a gulag for writing about it nor are political parties in our country going to have their leaders imprisoned for thinking differently. That is the beauty of our Australian democracy. While an occasional nuisance, we all have the opportunity to quietly have our say around who leads us, and that happens properly and faithfully.

We really have a lot to be thankful for.

Thank God for His peaceful transition of power, thank God for that largely unnoticed at the time moment in Palestine 2000 years ago, when the power shifted, and darkness was broken.

Governments will come and go but He will be constant. Thank God that He is with us, yesterday, today and into all our tomorrows. Working in us and through us in service of the people in our care.

That is worth keeping an eye on.

Shane Altmann
Principal