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New South Wales Labor has signalled a ban on home and private education.

State education secretary Murat Dizdar told the ABC on Monday that alternatives to government education were unnecessary.

Dizdar, an apparent Marxist, expressed a desire to force NSW into line with other countries (presumably China) that only allow “one provision for education.”

In his view, the only “educational pathway” is a public structure centralised and completely controlled by bureaucrats.

Notably, Dizdar’s views are supported by LGBTQ+ activist and former High Court judge Michael Kirby.

Backlash

Homeschooling and Catholic groups raised concerns about Dizdar’s totalitarian posturing.

Dallas McInerney, Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Schools NSW, described Dizdar’s statements as “outrageously bad and very worrying.”

McInerney’s protest wasn’t groundless.

He backed Mark Latham’s 2021 parental rights bill, which sought to keep government fads and ideological activism like Marxian Woke critical theory out of education.

Likewise, Sydney Catholic Schools director Danielle Cronin scolded the education secretary’s apparent agenda by posting a brief history of education.

“This offends on so many different levels,” she said in a statement posted on LinkedIn.

Private education has been “part of the fabric of this great state for more than 200 years.”

“Catholic and other faith-based schools existed well before the state stepped in to provide public education.”

He seems to have “forgotten that parents have a universal right to choose the school most appropriate for their children,” Cronin added.

Responding to Dizdar’s firestorm, NSW Labor Premier Chris Minns attempted to reassure concerned parents and teachers.

In a statement widely shared by legacy media, Minns said his party wasn’t looking at cancelling parental rights.

“We’re certainly not going to stop school choice or change policies in relation to private education,” Minns stated.

School choice was “fundamental to the education system in NSW.”

Contradicting Minns, Dizdar responded to criticisms stating that while he “recognised the importance of the private education sector”, he was completely committed to the “transformational power of public education.”

Many serious educators and concerned parents will justifiably read this as Dizdar advocating for the power to indoctrinate.

Noticing the contradiction, NSW opposition leader Mark Speakman (LNP) said Dizdar’s position and views were at odds with the Labor Premier and education minister’s reassurances about supporting school choice.

“It is untenable for private schools to have as their education boss someone who wants to abolish them.”

The education secretary had to go, Speakman argued.

Regulation

Broader concerns about Dizdar’s assertions relate to Labor’s shock decision to move Homeschooling from NESA (the NSW Education Standards Authority) to the Department of Education.

From 5 May 2025, the DoE will “assume responsibility for the regulation of homeschooling in NSW.”

It’s a move that Education Minister Prue Car hasn’t satisfactorily explained.

Additionally, the language used by the DoE echoes the totalitarian language being used by Dizdar.

The official reasoning given for moving homeschooling from NESA to the DoE is to “align NSW with other states.”

This appears to reflect Dizdar’s goal of “aligning NSW education with” countries like Communist China and its state-based school system run on contempt for parents, coercion, and control.

Commenting on Labor’s change, Homeschool advocacy group VIGIL said the move “represents a significant threat to the independence, impartiality, and viability of home education in NSW.”

VIGIL founder Ally Chumley outlined a list of “grave concerns” in a three-page pushback published in late March.

Tapping into Dizdar’s totalitarian talking points, Chumley said, the rapid change suggests a “broader national push toward centralised control of education, potentially threatening homeschooling freedoms.”

The lack of transparency and consultation about the changes wasn’t just Labor showing contempt for home education — it expressed a disregard for parental rights.

Worse, Prue Car and Dizdar’s decision undermines NESA’s hard work.

The transition destroys NESA’s working relationship with homeschooling families.

As Chumley argued, NESA had become “a fair and experienced regulator.”

Removing NESA from the conversation takes away an “impartial intermediary and undermines legal protections in the NSW Education Act (1990).”

Homeschooling in NSW is currently legal under section 5d of the Act.

Kneejerk Reaction

Offering thoughts on the sudden changes, VIGIL suggested that the government was panicking about the decline in public school enrolments and reacting to the rise in homeschooling.

According to Home Education Australia (HEA), homeschooling in NSW rose from 2,500 students in 2015 to almost 10,000 in 2021.

This reasoning is partially backed by the transcript of an interview between reporters, Anthony Albanese, Minns, and Car in early March this year.

As a way of moving forward, VIGIL invited the NSW government to sit down and talk.

They are seeking a suspension of the transition pending consultation with homeschoolers.

This includes full disclosure about the reason for the transition, as well as a commitment to safeguard parental rights.

On the same page as VIGIL, Independent NSW legislator Mark Latham said on X the transition from NESA to the DoE seemed to be part of a planned demolition of home and private schooling.

Only, Dizdar was saying the quiet parts out loud.

John Ruddick voiced just as ferocious an opposition.

When asked about the transition and threat to homeschoolers, he said the transition sounded “diabolical”.

Ruddick also put out a statement arguing for Dizdar’s resignation.

“Mr Dizdar wants your children to have no choice but to be brainwashed by his wacky Department of Education,” Ruddick asserted.

This “extreme lefty wants to use the violence of the state to abolish non-government schools.”

“We believe in the decentralisation of childhood education. Every school should be a private school,” Ruddick added.

The Libertarians will motion for Dizdar’s removal in May after NSW Parliament resumes.

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Image courtesy of Adobe.