[Aliantha]

My opinion is that it's getting to be more and more the case here. Funding doesn't come from a specific tax though. It just comes out of the government pool of funds from general taxation (from what I know. I may be wrong) It is my understanding that the way all sorts of public amenities are funded is much different over here than in the US.

I've spoken about the failure of public schools in Australia quite a lot over the last few years, and it's a difficult issue regardless of which side of the coin you're on. Dazza and I want to support the public system by keeping our kids in it and contributing to the social capital going into the school, but there aren't anywhere near enough parents with similar levels of education and intellectual ability doing the same, which makes it a bit of a losing battle. Most people in similar situations as us choose to send their kids to private schools simply because the child will get a better education there, and the parent wont have to worry about helping the child with homework etc because tutoring is covered in large part by the school through various avenues. Most private schools offer greater opportunities in sports and the arts also which is a big draw card for many parents.