Commentary
First, it was the takeover of the Calvary Hospital in the Australian Capital Territory (ACT). Now it is the planned removal of payroll tax exemptions for many independent schools in Victoria.
These actions by state and territory Labor governments denote a marked hostility towards the not-for-profit activities of religious and other charities in Australia.
The decision by the Barr government in the ACT to acquire Calvary Hospital has been widely condemned as unnecessary and unprecedented.
As former Prime Minister John Howard said, this is a serious attack on the fundamental principles of liberalism.
“This attempt by the ACT to grab from the Catholic Church, the Calvary Hospital, is about as blatant an assault on the principle of private property ownership that I’ve seen in this country for many, many years,” he said….