The UK Labour Party wants to abolish private schools - could we do that in Australia?

The UK's Labour Party recently voted in a policy to effectively abolish private schools and integrate them into the state system. This is a courageous move designed to redress social inequity - many of those working in the top levels of the UK government were educated in private schools. Two of Britain's three most recent prime ministers went to the prestigious Eton College, which charges annual fees of more than £40,000. The UK opposition party's plan will likely warm the hearts of similarly minded Australians. Many of the same arguments about educational inequality have been floated in Australia. Many individuals and organisations have also, for years, been calling for the government to stop funding non-government schools. But implementing a policy in Australia like that proposed in the UK would prove very difficult. For one thing, it's a matter of numbers. Only 5% of the United Kingdom's students go to a private school. The challenges are magnified in Australia where nearly 15% of students are enrolled in independent schools and nearly 20% in Catholic parish schools. But beyond that, Australia's complex set of school governance structures would make such a move very unlikely to succeed.