If money wasn't an issue I would definately send my children to a public school. If the local school didn't suit them then I'd transfer them to a differant one.

I don't think that schooling is just about what goes on in the classroom, it's also about what happens in the playground and after school.
I think it's important for children to socialise with a wide vatiety of people and that's more likely to happen in a public school. The area that we currently live in is one of the most multicultural in Australia I think my children can only benefit from mingling with people from such a wide variety of backgrounds.

TBH I don't think that educationally children benefit from private schools. Every year when the HSC lists come out in NSW public schools fare better than the private schools. Last year the split between public and private for distinguished achievers was 52/48 in favour of public schools and the top 3 schools were all public schools. Luckily for us 2 of them are not far from us.
If I thought that either of my boys would perform better in arts and humanities subjects in a single gender school I'm lucky that there are a few publicly funded ones around.

I would rather save my school fees so that we can afford to take the boys to places in Australia and abroad that will enrich and instruct them in ways that a classroom can't.
Brilliant post Chloe, my views exactly. As a teacher in a public school I am a passionate supporter of public education and wouldn't send my children to a private school even if I had tonnes of money.