 As Archbishop , O 'Reily continued his participation in public discussions regarding education . In 1896 , a colony @-@ wide referendum sought to gauge public opinion on state education , scripture reading in state schools , and the provision of capitation grants ( fixed grants per student ) to non @-@ state schools . O 'Reily weighed into the debate in The Register , giving conditional support to scriptural instruction in state schools , so long as the teachers themselves were religious and Catholic students received instruction from Catholic teachers . On the subject of a capitation grant , O 'Reily was strongly supportive , arguing that moral impediments prevented Catholics from using secular education , and that , since religious schools provided elements of secular education as well as religious instruction , they should receive government assistance . At the referendum , South Australians affirmed the system of free secular education , but rejected scriptural readings in schools and the capitation grant . 
