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This report examines how well national policy initiatives by the Australian, state and territory governments have achieved the objectives and outcomes set out in the National School Reform Agreement and makes recommendations to inform the design of the next school reform agreement. The review recommends redesigning the agreement to focus more attention on lifting academic results for all students, supporting quality teaching and school leadership, and promoting students' wellbeing.

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The National Agreement on Closing the Gap (the Agreement) is a commitment to improve the lives of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people made by all Australian governments and the Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations (Coalition of Peaks). Under the Agreement, these Parties have committed to actions to achieve the following objective: '... to overcome the entrenched inequality faced by too many Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people so that their life outcomes are equal to all Australians' (clause 15). The Agreement also sets out outcomes important to the wellbeing of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Currently, there are 17 socioeconomic outcomes identified across a range of life areas including health, education, employment, housing, safety, and strength in culture and language.

Each year, the Annual Data Compilation Report will provide a point-in-time snapshot of progress under the Agreement. This first Report provides data on the Agreement's socioeconomic outcome areas and outlines the approach to future monitoring of progress in implementing the Priority Reforms. This report provides baseline data for all 18 targets, and more recent data for seven targets where such data are available. For the seven targets with more recent data, this report provides an assessment of whether progress was on track toward the desired outcomes as set out in the Agreement, at the point in time the data were collected. It is not yet possible to assess progress under the Agreement as the relevant reporting periods were all before or around its July 2020 commencement.

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The annual Report on government services (RoGS) provides information on the equity, effectiveness and efficiency of government services in Australia. The report is presented in seven parts: Part A includes an introduction to the report, statistical context for the service-specific parts B to G, the glossary and the acronyms and abbreviations list; Part B includes performance reporting for early childhood education and care (ECEC), school education and vocational education and training (VET); Part C covers police services, courts and corrective services; Part D includes performance emergency services for fire and other events; Part E reports on primary and community health, ambulance services, public hospitals and mental health management; Part F covers community services and includes performance reporting for aged care services, services for people with disability, child protection services and youth justice services; and part G reports on housing and homelessness services.

Part B, Section 5, 'Vocational education and training', contains: Profile of vocational education and training; Framework of performance indicators; Key performance indicator results; Definitions of key terms; References. Key facts related to VET nationally in 2019 include: 82.1 per cent of government-funded 2018 VET graduates reported that training helped to fully or partly achieve their main reason for training, and the proportion was similar for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander government-funded graduates; 88.6 per cent of all government-funded 2018 VET graduates were satisfied with the overall quality of their training, and 67.0 per cent of 20-64 year old total VET graduates from 2018 improved their employment status after training; 86.2 per cent of 20-64 year old total VET graduates from 2018 were employed and/or continued on to further study after training - up from 85.7 per cent in 2018, with the proportion being higher for people from remote and very remote areas (91.8 per cent) and lower for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians (84.1 per cent) and people with disability (73.7 per cent); 67.0 per cent of 20-64 year old total VET graduates from 2018 improved their employment status after training with the proportion being higher for people from remote and very remote areas (75.9 per cent), lower for people wit h disability (45.5 per cent) and similar for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people (65.9 per cent).

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This paper provides new estimates of the effects on the probability of participation in the labour force of changes in the prevalence of health conditions or changes in educational attainment levels. The research confirms that better health and education can result in substantially greater labour force participation for those affected. The paper explores alternative methodologies to obtain estimates of the labour force participation effects of the health and education variables targeted by the National Reform Agenda. [The] paper's main contribution to the understanding of the effects of health and education on labour force participation is twofold: through the use of an integrated model of labour force participation, all relevant effects are estimated simultaneously in a consistent framework, thus making comparisons and interpretation of these effects easier; [and] it investigates the possibility that various types of bias may affect the relationships of interest. [The] paper forms part of a Productivity Commission research program investigating in more detail parameters used in its report 'Potential benefits of the National Reform Agenda'. The new parameter estimates would: alter some of the labour market projections contained in the report, but would not affect the thrust of the conclusions; and provide an improved basis for cost-benefit analyses of possible changes in specific health or education policies.

Excerpt from published introduction. This Productivity Commission document is copyright Commonwealth of Australia reproduced by permission. Show less

This is the second Annual Data Compilation Report (the Report) monitoring progress under the National Agreement on Closing the Gap (the Agreement). It provides new information for the Priority Reform outcome areas on progress towards developing data to measure the targets and indicators. For the socioeconomic outcome areas, an additional year of data and disaggregations for the targets is provided, along with new reporting for the supporting indicators.

The Priority Reforms are the foundation of the Agreement, and commit all Australian governments and the Coalition of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Peak Organisations (the Parties) to tangible and measurable actions. These actions are designed to change the way governments work with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, organisations and communities. Directly monitoring the implementation of the Priority Reforms is designed to promote accountability for these actions. The Agreement identifies 17 socioeconomic outcomes important to the rights, wellbeing and quality of life of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people.

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Australia has an ageing population, with the proportion of people aged 65 and over expected to more than double over the next few decades. This situation will affect Australia's long term economic prospects. This document provides an overview of the final research report produced by the Productivity Commission in response to the Australian Government's request to examine the productivity, labour supply and fiscal implications of likely demographic trends over the next 40 years. It contains the main findings of the report. They indicate that: one quarter of Australians will be aged 65 or over by 2044-45; people aged over 55 years have lower labour force participation rates; per capita gross domestic product (GDP) will fall to 1.25% per year by the mid 2020s; government expenditure is likely to rise; a range of policy measures will be needed to reduce the fiscal pressure from ageing and/or to finance the fiscal gap; and early action will avoid the need for inefficient or inequitable 'big bang' interventions.

The draft research report is indexed at TD/TNC 80.82; the final research report is indexed at TD/TNC 81.206. Show less

The Productivity Commission, at the request of the Australian Government, has undertaken a research study on the productivity and economic impacts of migration and population growth. This study examined: the nature of international migration flows; the impacts of migration on the skill levels of the Australian population and in industries and occupations; the relationships between migration and population growth and workforce diversity; the ways in which migration and population growth impact on productivity; the legislative and other impediments which prevent Australia from realising potential productivity gains from migration and population growth; and the impact of migration and population growth on labour force participation and economic growth more broadly. This document is the final report from the study. It is presented in nine chapters: following the introductory chapter which outlines the background, scope and conduct of the study, chapter two provides an overview of recent international and Australian migration and population trends; chapter three outlines the economic framework for the study and identifies the key mechanisms through which migration and population growth influence productivity and living standards; chapters four to six consider the effects of changes in labour supply, labour productivity, and growth in population size and the economy; chapter seven looks at the macroeconomic effects of migration and population growth; chapter eight provides an overall assessment of the impact of migration on living standards; the final chapter examines the legislative and other impediments to productivity and economic growth from migration. Included as appendices are: Submissions, visits and roundtable attendees; Trends in international migration; Australia’s migration policy and flows; Characteristics of Australia’s migrants; Labour market analysis; Effects on labour supply of an increase in skilled migration; Economic effects of increasing skilled migration: modelling summary; Detailed employment effects by occupation and region; Referee reports on modelling; Alternative modelling assumptions and results. The study indicates that: migration has been an important influence on Australian society and the economy; recent changes to Australia’s migration program include a greater emphasis on skills, increased numbers of temporary immigrants, and more diversification in the country of origin; the number of Australians leaving this country, permanently and long term, has risen markedly in recent years; economic effects of migration arise from demographic and labour market differences between migrants and the Australian-born population, and from migration-induced changes to population growth; it is unlikely that migration will have a substantial impact on income per capita and productivity because the annual flow of migrants is small relative to the stock of workers and population, and migrants are not very different from the Australian-born population and, over time, the differences become smaller; in terms of the selection criteria of the Migration Program, the greater emphasis on skills has been associated with better labour market outcomes for immigrants and English language proficiency stands out as a key factor determining the ease of settlement and labour market success of immigrants.

Documents from this study are indexed from TD/TNC 85.409 to TD/TNC 85.412. Show less

Literacy and numeracy skills are key components of human capital, which is an important driver of economic growth. This paper utilises data from a 2006 survey on the literacy and numeracy skills of the Australian adult population. Analysis reveals that literacy and numeracy skills: for nearly half of the population were assessed at either levels 1 (the lowest level) or 2, both of which are below the minimum level deemed necessary to participate in a knowledge-based economy (level 3); vary according to a number of factors, and were generally highest for people who had either undertaken higher levels of education, were born in an English speaking country or were of prime working age (20-44 years old). Models were used to estimate the effect of improved literacy and numeracy skills on the probability of labour force participation and on wages. Results confirm previous research in the human capital literature, that improving literacy and numeracy skills has a positive, statistically significant effect on labour market outcomes. More specifically, it was estimated that an improvement in literacy and numeracy skills from level 1 to level 3 would: increase the likelihood of labour force participation by about 15 percentage points for women and about five percentage points for men; and increase hourly wage rates by about 25 and 30 per cent for women and men respectively. Improving educational attainment was also estimated to have a positive, statistically significant effect on labour force participation and on wages. However, once literacy and numeracy skills were controlled for, the effect of increasing educational attainment on labour force participation and on wages was reduced. Some of the benefit occurs because more highly educated people tend to have higher literacy and numeracy skills. Literacy and numeracy skills are developed through education, but they can also be enhanced in other ways. Understanding the factors that influence literacy and numeracy skills is important and could be further explored with the data used in this paper.

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In this report, the Productivity Commission proposes a package of reforms that gives priority to improving teacher quality, reducing teacher shortages, ameliorating educational disadvantage, and strengthening the use of evaluation and research in policy making. Many of the recommended reforms would raise the attractiveness of teaching as a profession, and so help to turn around the widely held perception that the status of teachers has declined. This is the final in a series of three Productivity Commission studies on the education and training workforce which were requested by the Australian Government on behalf of the Council of Australian Governments (COAG). The previous studies examined the workforces for vocational education and training, and early childhood development. The government requested that this study of the schools workforce advise on: factors affecting the supply of, and demand for, teachers and other school workers; whether the knowledge and skills of the workforce, and its deployment within and across schools and regions, are appropriate to meet the community’s needs; and whether current or proposed policy, governance and regulatory arrangements are conducive to maximising the efficiency and effectiveness of the schools workforce and, if not, what changes may be required. Concurrent with this study, the Review of Funding for Schooling (the Gonski Review) examined the overall resourcing of the schooling system. Its proposals are under consideration by the Australian Government, in collaboration with state and territory governments and in consultation with other stakeholders.

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Education supports young people to realise their potential by providing the knowledge and skills they need to participate in the economy and in society, and by contributing to their wellbeing. The National School Reform Agreement (NSRA) is a joint agreement between the Commonwealth, states and territories to lift student outcomes across Australian schools. The objective of the NSRA is that Australian schooling provides a high quality and equitable education for all students. The NSRA sets out long-term national outcomes for school education in Australia and national targets and sub-outcomes to track progress. To achieve these outcomes, the NSRA sets out three reform directions which are supported by eight national policy initiatives as well as bilateral agreements specific to each state and territory. The Measurement Framework for Schooling in Australia, including the schedule of key performance measures, provides the basis for Australian education ministers to report to the community on the performance of schooling, in accordance with the Education Goals for Young Australians as expressed in the Alice Springs (Mparntwe) Education Declaration [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 95.50].

This review of the Agreement will examine how well national policy initiatives by the Australian, State and Territory Governments have achieved the objectives and outcomes set out in the Agreement. In undertaking the review, the Productivity Commission will assess: the appropriateness of the National Measurement Framework for Schooling in Australia in measuring progress towards achieving the outcomes of the NSRA; and the effectiveness and appropriateness of the National Policy Initiatives outlined in Part 3 of the NSRA, recognising that national reform takes time to implement and mature, and for the effects of nationally coordinated reform efforts to materialise. In the context of the National Measurement Framework for Schooling in Australia, consideration should be given to current and planned measures and data projects, and their application, utility and relevance to NSRA outcomes. The Productivity Commission released this paper to assist individuals and organisations to prepare submissions. It contains and outlines: (1) the scope of the review; (2) the Commission's procedures; (3) matters about which the Commission is seeking comment and information; and (4) how to make a submission.

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