The desire to give government schools increased autonomy and flexibility has enjoyed the support of both major political parties. Julia Gillard, when Prime Minister, championed the then ALP Commonwealth government’s Empowering Local Schools reform, and in a 2010 speech she argued: “A key element of this reform is empowering local school communities to make decisions about what is best for their schools and their students rather than a centralised system run by state bureaucracies di…
