Exclusive Brethren Schools collect another AUS$800,000
October 20th, 2008
The Australian government is now openly funding Exclusive Brethren schools with public money. Why is this significant? Because the schools are not open to the public - Australian tax-payers cannot send their children to an EB school, even if they wanted to.
The only non-Exclusive Brethren kids in EB schools are children of the non-EB teachers they are forced to hire because of the Exclusive Brethren ban on university education. This in itself begs the question:
Why would tax-payers want to fund an intentional restriction of a child’s future?
No Exclusive Brethren child is allowed to fulfill their destiny through university education. And yet Kevin Rudd is funding the perpetuation of what amounts to an infringement of human rights!
The entire purpose of the Exclusive Brethren school system is to keep their children separate from other ‘unclean’ kids … however, they do not seem to apply the same principle of ‘Separation’ when it comes to money!
It is indeed remarkable that governments in Australia, New Zealand Canada, USA, UK and several other countries continue to allow public subsidization of these ‘centers of indoctrination‘. The Exclusive Brethren are notorious for breaking up families and yet expect hand-outs from federal authorities that do nothing but perpetuate the problem.
Sure they claim that because they ‘follow the rules’, they are entitled to such payouts. When you look a little closer and understand their reasonings and the prime purpose behind having their own schools, you will find a level of cynicism that is breathtaking.
Similarly, local governments and municipal authorities continue to ignore the strange matter of tax-exemption for Exclusive Brethren Meeting Rooms. The windowless ‘fortresses’ surrounded by high security fences and steel padlocked gates are both visibly and in practice - barred to the general public. How can they be called places of public worship?
Brethren schools collect $800k
The Chronicle
by Jim Campbell
October 20th, 2008Darling Downs schools run by the Exclusive Brethren received more than $800,000 funding from the Queensland Government last year.
The Brethren’s Agnew School has campuses in Toowoomba and Warwick which last year received capital assistance grants totalling $468,488 and $369,238 respectively.
The funding came to light after New South Wales Greens MP John Kaye raised concerns that government money was going to schools not open to the general public.
A spokesman for the Agnew School’s Toowoomba campus said there were 22 students enrolled at the Toowoomba campus and about 17 enrolled at Warwick.
He said the capital assistance grant for the Toowoomba campus was being used to build a new primary school.
Prior to last year’s Federal election, Kevin Rudd expressed concerns about the Exclusive Brethren’s education practices.
“My position on the Exclusive Brethren is on the record. I believe this is an extremist cult and sect. I also believe that it breaks up families,” he said.
“I also believe that there are real problems with the provision of modern education for kids under their system; whether, for example, not giving access to the full range of information technology assistance.”
A spokesman said Mr Rudd made those comments prior to being elected Prime Minister and therefore it was unfair to bring them up today.
While the school spokesman said people in the wider community were “welcome to apply for enrolment,” Dr Kaye said children enrolled at Exclusive Brethren schools must be members of the Brethren community.
The spokesman said the Agnew School complied “100 per cent” with the requirements of the Queensland Studies Authority for both primary and secondary education.
