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You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jul/16/investigating-a-catholic-school-body-is-no-dark-conspiracy
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| Investigating a Catholic school body is no dark conspiracy | Investigating a Catholic school body is no dark conspiracy |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Many politicians lie. But Trump has elevated the art of fabrication, was the headline in the New York Times. | Many politicians lie. But Trump has elevated the art of fabrication, was the headline in the New York Times. |
| Never has a headline been so perfect to also describe Catholic Education Melbourne’s latest political campaign here at home. Or so relevant as the advice of the Republican political consultant Whit Ayres, who according to the New York Times article tells his clients there are three keys to credibility: never defend the indefensible, never deny the undeniable, and never lie. | Never has a headline been so perfect to also describe Catholic Education Melbourne’s latest political campaign here at home. Or so relevant as the advice of the Republican political consultant Whit Ayres, who according to the New York Times article tells his clients there are three keys to credibility: never defend the indefensible, never deny the undeniable, and never lie. |
| It’s a credibility test that Catholic Education Melbourne has regularly failed as it defends an indefensible – a special funding deal at the expense of other public and independent schools. The scripture says God does not show favouritism, but that rule clearly doesn’t apply to schools funding. | It’s a credibility test that Catholic Education Melbourne has regularly failed as it defends an indefensible – a special funding deal at the expense of other public and independent schools. The scripture says God does not show favouritism, but that rule clearly doesn’t apply to schools funding. |
| As it regularly omits to mention that the Catholic sector is getting $2.9bn in new money under Gonski 2.0, Catholic Education Melbourne is denying the undeniable. As it tells families that fees must rise despite that huge funding boost, it is scaring parents with lies. As it claims struggling parish schools will be forced to increase fees despite the fact those schools will secure more under the new system, not less, it is peddling an untruth. | |
| This weekend, Catholic Education Melbourne’s lobbyist and executive director, Stephen Elder, was at it again. The former Liberal MP claims he is facing a jail threat under a formal investigation into whether his group should continue to enjoy charitable status after it paid for robocalls during the Batman byelection. This is based on a letter from the Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission he received a month ago but waited to wheel out to orchestrate a “controversy” timed to coincide with the PM’s talks with Catholic leaders. But seriously, why on earth should Catholic Education Melbourne enjoy charitable status if it is spending money on robocalls in byelections and running political campaigns? | This weekend, Catholic Education Melbourne’s lobbyist and executive director, Stephen Elder, was at it again. The former Liberal MP claims he is facing a jail threat under a formal investigation into whether his group should continue to enjoy charitable status after it paid for robocalls during the Batman byelection. This is based on a letter from the Australian Charities and Not-For-Profits Commission he received a month ago but waited to wheel out to orchestrate a “controversy” timed to coincide with the PM’s talks with Catholic leaders. But seriously, why on earth should Catholic Education Melbourne enjoy charitable status if it is spending money on robocalls in byelections and running political campaigns? |
| I suspect I am not alone in praising God that someone is finally looking into this nonsense | I suspect I am not alone in praising God that someone is finally looking into this nonsense |
| They were not handing out soup to the homeless by paying for robocalls to harass voters in Batman. They were acting as a political organisation using political tactics. No harm in that, but why should taxpayers bankroll it? | They were not handing out soup to the homeless by paying for robocalls to harass voters in Batman. They were acting as a political organisation using political tactics. No harm in that, but why should taxpayers bankroll it? |
| If it’s good enough for GetUp! to open its books and submit to more scrutiny, why not Catholic Education Melbourne? | If it’s good enough for GetUp! to open its books and submit to more scrutiny, why not Catholic Education Melbourne? |
| Now we are told Catholic archbishops will raise this shocking scrutiny with the prime minister. But how is the church’s freedom of speech curtailed if the charity status is investigated? It’s clearly not that they are conducting a media blitz, for heavens sake. | Now we are told Catholic archbishops will raise this shocking scrutiny with the prime minister. But how is the church’s freedom of speech curtailed if the charity status is investigated? It’s clearly not that they are conducting a media blitz, for heavens sake. |
| Elder has never said so much about so little. As for the idea that charities should not conduct political campaigns that are not aligned with their charitable function, that is actually the law. Someone may want to mention this to the archbishops. | Elder has never said so much about so little. As for the idea that charities should not conduct political campaigns that are not aligned with their charitable function, that is actually the law. Someone may want to mention this to the archbishops. |
| Catholic Education Melbourne may well argue that its activities in Batman campaigning for more funding are aligned with its function. If that is the case, they have nothing to worry about. The risk of jail – as unlikely as it is – only arises if they refuse to cooperate with the probe. What have they got to hide? | Catholic Education Melbourne may well argue that its activities in Batman campaigning for more funding are aligned with its function. If that is the case, they have nothing to worry about. The risk of jail – as unlikely as it is – only arises if they refuse to cooperate with the probe. What have they got to hide? |
| Meanwhile, Elder is also trying to mount the entirely wobbly argument that the charity status probe is some sort of dark conspiracy orchestrated by education minister Simon Birmingham, despite the fact that the ACNPC is chaired by a former Labor MP Gary Johns, more recently of conservative Institute of Public Affairs fame. The same conservatives that were thumping the table a few years ago about environment groups including the Wilderness Society having charitable status are now arguing it’s not OK to investigate Catholic Education Melbourne? Seriously, this is an intellectually embarrassing argument. | Meanwhile, Elder is also trying to mount the entirely wobbly argument that the charity status probe is some sort of dark conspiracy orchestrated by education minister Simon Birmingham, despite the fact that the ACNPC is chaired by a former Labor MP Gary Johns, more recently of conservative Institute of Public Affairs fame. The same conservatives that were thumping the table a few years ago about environment groups including the Wilderness Society having charitable status are now arguing it’s not OK to investigate Catholic Education Melbourne? Seriously, this is an intellectually embarrassing argument. |
| It’s all reminiscent of the so-called conservatives who argued Australia’s debt and deficit was out of control but families on $150,00 a year should also get welfare during the Rudd-Gillard years. Proper conservatives like Johns quite correctly want to know whether taxpayers are granting charitable status to organisations running political campaigns. It’s entirely regrettable that Bill Shorten has chosen to enter into an unholy alliance with this mob to win votes at the next election. It also doesn’t seem to be working. First, we were told that Birmingham and the Catholic funding war was to blame for the PM’s poor Newspoll results despite the fact the needle hadn’t moved for months. | It’s all reminiscent of the so-called conservatives who argued Australia’s debt and deficit was out of control but families on $150,00 a year should also get welfare during the Rudd-Gillard years. Proper conservatives like Johns quite correctly want to know whether taxpayers are granting charitable status to organisations running political campaigns. It’s entirely regrettable that Bill Shorten has chosen to enter into an unholy alliance with this mob to win votes at the next election. It also doesn’t seem to be working. First, we were told that Birmingham and the Catholic funding war was to blame for the PM’s poor Newspoll results despite the fact the needle hadn’t moved for months. |
| Now we are to believe that Birmingham is “severely embarrassed” and has “bungled” the issue despite the fact that Newspoll has gone up, the government is in striking distance and Malcolm Turnbull has opened a big lead as preferred PM. You would really have to be innumerate to buy the argument that Gonski is killing Turnbull in the polls. | Now we are to believe that Birmingham is “severely embarrassed” and has “bungled” the issue despite the fact that Newspoll has gone up, the government is in striking distance and Malcolm Turnbull has opened a big lead as preferred PM. You would really have to be innumerate to buy the argument that Gonski is killing Turnbull in the polls. |
| I suspect I am not alone in praising God that someone is finally looking into this nonsense. It should have happened many years ago. | I suspect I am not alone in praising God that someone is finally looking into this nonsense. It should have happened many years ago. |
| The Lord works in mysterious ways, but in looking into the charitable status of Catholic Education Melbourne, the darkness is finally being exposed to the light. | The Lord works in mysterious ways, but in looking into the charitable status of Catholic Education Melbourne, the darkness is finally being exposed to the light. |
| • Samantha Maiden has covered federal politics and schools funding in the Canberra press gallery for 20 years | • Samantha Maiden has covered federal politics and schools funding in the Canberra press gallery for 20 years |
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