Key internet links on Education
This page provides links to education related resources.
Early Childhood
The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) Early Childhood website provides access to information about national and Australian Government early childhood education policies and programs.
National Partnership Agreement on Early Childhood Education (see DEEWR’s Early Childhood Education National Partnership website) endorsed by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG), commits to, by 2013, universal access to an early childhood education program for all children in the year before formal schooling. This is part of the wider COAG early childhood reform agenda.
The Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision’s, Report on Government Services, Children’s Services chapter, provides an overview of early childhood education, funding information and key statistics.
Early Childhood Australia
Statistics
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Childhood Education and Care, Australia, ABS cat. no. 4402.0.
The annual National Preschool Census is a national collection of preschool enrolments with a focus on Indigenous children. Latest survey report is 2009.
Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision, Report on Government Services, Children’s Services chapter.
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School Education
The Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (2008), agreed to by state, territory and Australian Government education ministers, sets the direction for Australian schooling for the next 10 years.
Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Schooling website provides access to information about Australian Government school education policies and programs.
The Intergovernmental Agreement on Federal Financial Relations (IGA) provides for the Australian Government’s National Schools Specific Purpose Payment (SPP) for government schools.
The National Education Agreement (NEA), formulated as part of the IGA, defines the objectives and outcomes for schooling, the roles and responsibilities of each level of government, performance indicators and benchmarks, reporting mechanisms and policy and reform directions.
The Schools Assistance Act 2008 – provides funding for the non-government school component of the National Schools SPP and the Schools Assistance Regulations 2009 specify the performance and transparency requirements under the Act.
The Schools Assistance Act 2008 Administrative Guidelines: Commonwealth Programs for Non-government Schools, 2009 to 2012: 2011 Update provide an overview of the funding arrangements for non-government schools and performance and accountability requirements.
The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) is responsible for the development of the national curriculum, the national assessment program and national data collection and reporting.
My School provides, for all schools in Australia, key facts and figures, financial information, and students’ literacy and numeracy achievement results.
The Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision’s, Report on Government Services, School Education chapter, provides an overview of school education, funding information and key statistics.
The National Report on Schooling in Australia was published by MCEECDYA until 2008. Since 2009, ACARA has been responsible for publishing the National Report on Schooling in Australia.
School term dates
Resources compiled by the Parliamentary Library
M Harrington, Australian Government Funding for Schools Explained, Background Note, 31 January 2011.
Schools by Commonwealth Electoral Division 2010 (for senators, members and parliamentary staff only)
Statistics
Australian Bureau of Statistics, Schools Australia, ABS cat. no. 4221.0.
National Report on Schooling in Australia
Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision, Report on Government Services, School Education chapter.
Student achievement statistics:
Key organisations
Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia
Australian Council of State School Organisations
Australian Primary Principals’ Association
Australian Secondary Principals Association
Australian Parents Council – represents the interests of parents of non-government school students
Independent Schools Council of Australia.
National Catholic Education Commission
Save Our Schools
State and territory government links
Australian Capital Territory
New South Wales
Northern Territory
Queensland
South Australia
Tasmania
Victoria
Western Australia
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Vocational Education and Training
About vocational education and training (VET)
The Annual National Report of the Australian Vocational Education and Training System includes an overview of the national VET system, an analysis of the system’s performance and key statistics, and a summary of Australian, state and territory government developments. Latest edition is 2010 (not yet available online).
The Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision’s, Report on Government Services, Vocational Education and Training chapter, provides an overview of the VET system, funding information and key statistics.
The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR) Skills website provides access to information about Australian Government VET policies and programs. Includes links to VET stakeholders.
The Intergovernmental Agreement on Federal Financial Relations (IGA), agreed to by the Council of Australian Governments, provides for the Australian Government’s National Skills and Workforce Development Specific Purpose Payment (SPP).
The National Agreement for Skills and Workforce Development (NASWD), formulated as part of the IGA, defines the objectives, outcomes, outputs and performance measures and the roles and responsibilities that guide the Australian and the state and territory governments in the delivery of services across the skills and workforce development sector.
The annual National Agreement for Skills and Workforce Development: performance report is a report on governments' progress against the agreed objectives and outcomes of the NASWD.
There are two National Partnerships associated with the NAWSD – the National Partnership on the Productivity Places Program (see also DEEWR’s Productivity Places Program website) and the National Partnership on Youth Attainment and Transitions (see also DEEWR’s Youth Attainment and Transitions website).
The Australian Skills Quality Authority is the national regulator for Australia’s vocational education and training sector.
training.gov.au is the official national register of information on training packages, qualifications, courses, units of competency and Registered Training Organisations.
Australian Apprenticeships is the Australian Government’s program to support apprenticeships and traineeships.
VET FEE-HELP is a student loan scheme for the VET sector and is part of the Higher Education Loan Program (HELP). The VET FEE-HELP Annual Statistical Report includes information about students, fields of study undertaken, amount of VET FEE-HELP assistance, and provider level statistics.
Statistics
Annual National Report of the Australian Vocational Education and Training System. Latest edition is 2010 (not yet available online).
National Agreement for Skills and Workforce Development: performance report
National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER)
Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision, Report on Government Services, Vocational Education and Training chapter.
VET FEE-HELP Annual Statistical Report
Key organisations
The Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET) is the national industry association for independent providers of post-compulsory education and training.
Skills Australia is an independent statutory body, providing advice to the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations on Australia’s current, emerging and future workforce skills needs and workforce development needs.
TAFE Directors Australia. Provides links to TAFE Institutes.
State and territory government links
Australian Capital Territory
Department of Education and Training, Vocational and Higher Education
New South Wales
State Training Services
TAFE NSW
Northern Territory
Department of Education and Training, Vocational Education and Training
Queensland
Department of Education and Training, Training website
TAFE Queensland
South Australia
Department of Further Education, Employment, Science and Technology
TAFE SA
Tasmania
Skills Tasmania
It’s Your Choice
Victoria
Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, Technical and Further Education (TAFE)
Western Australia
Training WA
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