The Howard government's introduction of the chaplaincy program here was a deliberate attempt to divide and conquer. Their greater objective was, always, to undermine public education in whatever way they could. They had an ideological imperative to abandon our history of providing high quality public education, and encourage (by means of an unprecedented financial largesse) the movement of students to the private education sector.

The chaplaincy program has seen public schools employ untrained religoids because they are cheaper than real counsellors, who must be qualified in psychology, etc. Instead, these bozos are using their employment as an insidious mechanism for religious brainwashing. Many parents have voted with their feet, and have taken their children to private education providers, just as Howard and his fascist cronies wanted. Poor feller, my country.