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11.4 Australian Schools Commission

The Australian Schools Commission was set up by the Labor
Govemment,in 1973, to advise the Minister of Education. In
light of the fact that the Commission made recommendations for
the disbursement of funds, it must be seen as having played an
important role in policy making.

It is noteworthy that the first chairman and deputy chairman
of the Schools Commission came to their positions immediately
upon completing a report on education in South Australia for
the State Labor Government, a Government' regarded as having a
most enlightened policy towards Aborigines.

By the nature of things, governments appoint to positions
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of power those who reflect the thinking of the government, those
in sympathy with its policies. Therefore, while the appointment
of the Commissioners cannot be seen as political in intent, it
would be expected that the selection of Commissioners would be
based on the expectation of a degree of symmetry between the
theorising of the Federal Labor Government and the emphases of
the Schools Commissioners, as evidenced in their report to the
South Australian State Government.

This symmetry is exemplified in the focussing of attention
on the 'disadvantaged*.

In the 1973 Interim Report of the Schools Commission both

Aborigines and migrants were treated as special cases of the
’disadvantaged'. The need was seen for the co-ordination of
programmes for Aborigines, and the integration of special child
migrant education into the programme of the Schools Commission.

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