Search Results

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.

Edited excerpts from publication and publisher's website. Show less

As part of the Machinery of Government (MoG) changes to the Australian Public Service announced on 5 December 2019, employment and skills functions were transferred to the renamed Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE). These changes took effect on 1 February 2020. This corporate plan is the Department's primary planning document and provides the strategic context for the role the Department plays in developing and delivering policies and programs that ensure Australians can experience the wellbeing and economic benefits that quality education, skills and employment offer. The plan presents the goals, activities, performance measures and strategies to fulfill this role. The sections of the plan are: introduction; purpose; operating environment; risk oversight and management; performance; enabling capabilities; acronyms and glossary.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

Wage subsidies have been a long-standing part of employment programs in Australia. They aim to increase employment opportunities for job seekers by providing a financial incentive to employers, primarily by contributing to the initial costs of hiring a new employee. This audit was an opportunity to examine the effectiveness of the administration of wage subsidies, and the extent to which the Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE) monitored and evaluated if wage subsidies improved employment opportunities for employment program participants, by assisting job seekers into work and meeting employer needs. The audit found that the DESE administration of wage subsidies is largely effective. The department's contractual framework, program guidelines, systems, and compliance program support the assessment, processing and payment of wage subsidies. The monitoring, reporting and evaluation of wage subsidies have been largely effective in ensuring policy objectives are being achieved.

Edited excerpts from publisher's website. Show less

The Gender Balance on Australian Government Boards Report, prepared annually by the Australian Government Office for Women, outlines performance against the Australian Government's gender diversity target for Government boards. The Government is committed to a target of women holding 50 per cent of Government board positions overall, and men and women each holding at least 40 per cent of positions on individual boards. This target was introduced on 1 July 2016, and replaced the previous gender diversity target of women holding 40 per cent of Australian Government board positions overall.

Excerpt from publication. Show less

This book provides an account across five decades of the scope of educational progress of vocational education and training (VET) in New South Wales (NSW) from local technical colleges to a successful state-wide system. It explains the social and political factors that influenced and enabled the expansion of technical education in NSW during a vigorous and often tumultuous time in the state's history. In 1949, the Technical Education and the New South Wales University of Technology Act was passed, establishing the Department of Technical Education as a separate Department of State, with its own permanent head and direct access to the Minister for Education. The other major provision of this legislation was the incorporation of the New South Wales University of Technology. The events leading up to the passing of this legislation are documented in 'Sweet road to progress: the history of state technical education in New South Wales to 1949' [available in VOCEDplus at TD/NSW 61.20].

This book takes up where the previous history finished. It charts the development of technical education in NSW from its separation from the Department of Education in 1949 to December 1997, when the NSW TAFE Commission became amalgamated with school education into a new Department of Education and Training. During this period, technical education experienced extraordinary growth and significant change as it strove to keep pace with the demands placed on it by state and national governments, industry and community. This book examines how technical and further education and the Department responded to economic, social and political changes that have occurred since 1949. Reference is made to major state and Commonwealth government reports that shaped both the structure and operations of the Department during the period 1949-1997.

The development of the Department of Technical Education over the period falls into three distinct eras coinciding with legislative change. The book is ordered chronologically according to three eras and within these, according to a number of topics. These include: structural changes; teachers and teacher education; equity; technological changes; economic, social and political changes and impacts; industrial relations; and TAFE courses and delivery. The focus is on broad events and change that shaped the Department as a whole and not on the history of individual colleges.

Edited excerpts from publication. Show less

The Department of Education annual report is prepared in accordance with parliamentary reporting and legislative requirements and its purpose is to provide details of departmental activities and performance during the financial year.

Excerpt from publication. Show less

The Working Poor Families Project (WPFP) supports efforts of state nonprofit organizations to strengthen state policies that can assist families striving to work their way into the middle class and achieve economic security. WPFP encourages its partners to engage state policy makers to ensure that postsecondary education and skills development programs sufficiently serve and capably prepare low-skilled adults for family sustaining careers, in short to educate and train them for growing occupations that can support their families economically. To do so, states need to align systems and resources toward market-driven, skill-building strategies such as apprenticeship. A few states, including several with WPFP partners, are in the forefront of advancing public policies that support a broad-based expansion of apprenticeships. This brief describes state efforts for engaging employers through outreach, apprentice recruitment, and training subsidies while strengthening linkages to postsecondary and workforce development systems and improving rates of entry and successful completion of lowskilled adults. The brief makes specific policy recommendations and suggests strategies for ensuring their passage. Show less

On 17 June 2022, to advance microeconomic and productivity reforms, First Secretaries were tasked by National Cabinet with providing advice on the role of Ministerial Councils in progressing national priorities, with a sharpened focus on productivity improvements. First Secretaries' Group (FSG) comprises of the secretaries or directors general from the Commonwealth and each state and territory First Minister's department.

FSG's Review of Ministerial Councils (the Review) sought to build on the 2020 Review of the former Council of Australian Governments (COAG) councils and ministerial forums, led by Mr Peter Conran AM [available in VOCEDplus at TD/TNC 143.204]. The Review aimed to ensure that National Cabinet, Ministerial Councils and Commonwealth-state relations more broadly can operate under an enduring structure that promotes collaborative and results-driven decision making. The report is the executive summary and the recommendations of the FSG. National Cabinet agreed to the recommendations on 20 September 2022.

Edited excerpts from publisher's website. Show less

States and the federal government have long provided substantial funding for higher education, but changes in recent years have resulted in their contributions being more equal than at any time in at least the previous two decades. Historically, states have provided a far greater amount of assistance to postsecondary institutions and students; 65 per cent more than the federal government on average from 1987 to 2012. But this difference narrowed dramatically in recent years, particularly since the Great Recession, as state spending declined and federal investments grew sharply, largely driven by increases in the Pell Grant program, a need-based financial aid program that is the biggest component of federal higher education spending. Although their funding streams for higher education are now comparable in size and have some overlapping policy goals, such as increasing access for students and supporting research, federal and state governments channel resources into the system in different ways. The federal government mainly provides financial assistance to individual students and specific research projects, while state funds primarily pay for the general operations of public institutions.

In a constrained fiscal environment, policymakers also will need to consider whether there are better means of achieving shared goals, including student access and support for research. Such approaches could entail more coordination, other funding mechanisms, or policy reforms. In addition, it will be necessary to think about the implications of parity and whether funding strategies will require changes in order to reach desired outcomes. This chartbook is intended to provide a starting point for answering such questions by illustrating the existing federal-state relationship in higher education funding, the way that relationship has evolved, and how it differs across states.

Excerpts from publication. Show less

The WorkChoices amendments to the Workplace Relations Act 1996 represent a significant shift in national employment regulation in Australia. The legislative amendments are extremely complex and comprise, together with the accompanying regulations, some 1400 pages of regulation (Legislative Council of NSW Standing Committee on Social Issues 2006: 11). While some of the legislative changes are clear, such as the restriction of unfair dismissal protection to those working for employers with more than 100 employees and the restriction of unions’ right of entry to workplaces, other changes are less so. Indeed the extent to which the application of specific changes within certain workplaces is legal or illegal under WorkChoices has been a matter of on-going political debate and some considerable confusion. Even where changes are unambiguous, the individual and organisational ramifications of the removal of long-standing protections, particularly in relation to job security, have not yet been explored and understood. The authors were commissioned to conduct a deep qualitative study of a set of experiences amongst workers in low pay sectors, particularly childcare, aged care, cleaning, retail, clerical and hospitality, across five states and the Australian Capital Territory. This report includes full details of the methods and approach of the study, along with recruitment materials and interview schedules (see appendices). This report outlines findings arising from 121 women low paid interviewees. Amongst other recommendations, we strongly recommend a larger national analysis by means of a comprehensive longitudinal survey of Australian workers and workplaces. This report thus provides the first comprehensive, qualitative study of the effects of recent industrial relations reforms on low paid women workers and should be of interest to all those working in this field.

Excerpt from executive summary. Show less