Labor believes that the 'political downside is probably limited' and that they cannot be accused of 'anti-private school' as the total pool of federal funding to private schools remains the same. Although the Labor Policy seems fair and superior I believe Gregory Hywood phrased the current situation very well at the end of his article - "Already the losers' cries are much louder than the winners' joy."
Representatives of leading Melbourne private schools warned Latham of an electoral backlash in marginal seats, "because voters with children or grandchildren at private schools came from diverse electorates, including marginal seats." In the redistribution the marginal seat of McMillan transformed from marginal Labor to marginal Liberal. The interesting thing is that none of the schools on Labor's hit list are in the electorate, instead it is home to schools such as Pakenham Secondary and low-fee Catholic schools - the beneficiaries of the Labor policy.
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