Author Jane Caro was born in Britain. When she was a child, her parents decided to move to Australia on the condition that the country had a good public education system.

Ms Caro’s book, Rich Kid, Poor Kid paints a picture of a system that has lost its lustre since it lured the Caros from the other side of the world.

Ms Caro argues that Australia’s education system, often perceived as egalitarian, in fact reproduces and reinforces inequality, with wealth and social background playing a decisive role in determining a child’s educational opportunities and subsequent life chances.

Meanwhile, children from poorer backgrounds are left navigating under-resourced schools and fewer opportunities. And to make it worse, their parents’ taxes are propping up the wealthier schools they have no chance of entering.

Ms Caro uses extensive data with accessible, but avoids academic jargon, making complex social and economic issues understandable to a broad audience. Her background in media and communications is evident in her clear, persuasive style and her knack for framing arguments in a way that resonates emotionally as well as intellectually. This readability makes the book particularly effective as a tool for raising public awareness.

The author is especially critical of government funding policies that disproportionately benefit private schools, many of which already serve more affluent communities. She argues that such policies exacerbate inequality rather than alleviating it, effectively subsidising privilege while leaving public schools underfunded. Her critique is not merely theoretical; she points to concrete policy decisions and their real-world consequences, urging readers to reconsider the fairness of the current system.