Strategic Update 14 SEPTEMBER 2010

1. Strategic Update14 SEPTEMBER 2010

2. The Federal Ministry • Minister for Schools, Early Childhood and Youth – Peter Garrett (Cabinet position) • Minister for Jobs, Skills and Workplace Relations – Chris Evans (Cabinet position) • Minister for Innovation, Industry and Science – Kim Carr (Cabinet position) • Minister for Employment Participation and Childcare – Kate Ellis (Outer Ministry) • Parliamentary Secretary for Education, Employment and Workplace Relations – Jacinta Collins

3. Peter Garrett • Member for Kingsford Smith (NSW) • First elected 2004 • Minister for the Environment, Heritage and the Arts (3/12/07 to 8/3/10) • Minister for Environment Protection, Heritage and the Arts (from 8/3/10) • Lawyer, best known for his role as President of the Australian Conservation Foundation and involvement in Greenpeace; an activist and former lead singer in the band Midnight Oil

4. Key Points • There is no longer an Education Minister with a splitting of the previous education portfolio • Downgrading of status of education which was previously held by the Deputy Prime Minister • Just four Ministers from Queensland (Swan, Rudd, Emerson, Ludwig) – but all in Cabinet • Departmental arrangements unknown at this stage

5. Will the Education Revolution Continue? • ALP has an ambitious range of election policies on schooling, plus existing initiatives introduced in its first term • Can these be implemented given the minority status of the Government and the changing political landscape (for example, Victorian election later this year and NSW election in March 2011)?

6. Continuing Policies • Building the Education Revolution • National Secondary Schools Computer Fund • Trade Training Centres • Australian Curriculum • Transparency – My School website, NAPLAN • National Partnerships

7. ALP Election Policies • National trade cadetship scheme for Year 9-12 • Autonomy to 1000 principals around budgeting, staffing • Extend education tax rebate to include school uniforms • Extend current SES funding system an extra year (to end of 2013) • Extend capital program to 2014 • Early childhood quality framework, increasing staff to child ratio • Cash rewards for up to 1000 schools that improve performance ($75,000 for primary, $100,000 for high schools) • Performance pay (10 % of salary to top 10% of teachers) • Introduce an Australian Baccalaureate • National online and assessment learning bank • Increase family assistance by $4500 per year for ages 16 to 18 • 1000 additional schools to get school chaplains • Indigenous students in boarding schools min 50 – remote loading

8. Australian Greens Policies • Federal funding for all schools should be based on equity; and should prioritise the public education sector • End the current recurrent funding arrangements for non-government schools by end 2010 and implement a new model that is: • Resource-based; • No longer uses AGSRC as the basis for indexation; and which • Makes non-government schools fully accountable to parliament. • Invest the money saved from ending public subsidies to the wealthiest non-government schools into a national equity funding program for government schools • Maintain of the total level of federal funding for all other non-government schools at 2003-04 levels, indexed for inflation • Reject the use of education funding vouchers • Introduce the same transparency and accountability frameworks for all sectors • Extend anti-discrimination measures to non-government schools • Ensure the viability of existing public schools is not endangered by the development of new non-government schools

9. Wilkie (MP for Denison) • One of his priorities is to make changes to funding for non-government schools. • His focus is on “overturning the recent Federal government decision to extend to 2014 the review of the Federal funding model for education”. • Wants the review completed by 2012 and the recommendations implemented as soon as practicable.

10. Independents • Rewards funding for schools and school autonomy – about a third of the funds will go to regional Australia • Similar arrangements for specific education programs – regional areas will be the first to receive funding for key education initiatives • Regional Australia will get first priority from the Education Investment fund

11. Funding Commitments • The commitment to extend the existing funding arrangements to the end of 2013 will require an amendment of the Schools Assistance Act before 31 December 2012 • It would be unlikely the Coalition would oppose such an amendment (?); Greens would oppose; position of independents (other than Wilkie) unknown • Amendment of Schools Assistance Act also required for indigenous funding – unlikely to be opposed

12. Other Initiatives • Other initiatives (reward payments for teachers and schools) likely to be under National Partnerships and/or other Appropriations legislation • Australian Baccalaureate?

13. Legislation and election Timeline

14. Schools Funding Review Julia Gillard’s view – “Australia’s school funding system is one of the most complex, most opaque, and most confusing in the developed world.” • Review commenced - • Review Panel • Terms of Reference • Discussion Paper http://www.deewr.gov.au/Schooling/Programs/Pages/FundingReview.aspx

15. Schools Funding Review Gillard “The review is not about taking money away from schools” Crean “This is not about taking money away from schools” “No school will be worse off – not a dollar will be taken away” If Labor re-elected, schools funding overhaul would be his biggest priority

16. Gillard Interview Interview with Julia Gillard – 20th August 2010 (reported in The Australian) • “She said her government would legislate a new funding model for government and private schools across Australia” • “She said a shift to some integration in government and private school funding was a “possibility”. • “Ms Gillard insisted Labor would legislate the new policy to begin from January 2014 – after the next term”

17. Schools Funding Review • October 2010 – “Emerging Issues” Paper out for consultation • March 2011 – Second Paper for consultation • October 2011 - Review Report

18. Interesting Times Ahead • Funding Review Report October 2011 • Amendment of Schools Assistance Act before December 2012 (to extend funding to end of 2013) • Possible 2012 Budget announcement about future funding model? • Federal election – second half of 2013 • Legislation for funding post 2013 required by end of 2013

19. Legislation and Election Timeline

20. A Quick Update on Other Strategic Issues My School • Version 2 to be released in December 2010 • Income and capital expenditure to be reported for all schools • 2010 NAPLAN outcomes, including growth data • Changes to the calculation of ICSEA (to determine “like” schools

21. State Recurrent Funding • Individual school 2011 General Recurrent Grant rates will be available in the first week of Term 4. • Overall the funding pool for State Recurrent Grants for non-state schools has increased by 4% (after taking into account enrolment growth)

22. Green Paper – A Flying Start for All • White Paper scheduled for release in October 2010 (Government policy) • Year 7 to secondary in 2014 • Changes in Statutory Authorities (Non State Schools Accreditation Board/Queensland Studies Authority)

23. Please do not hesitate to contact me for further information or clarification of any details drobertson@aisq.qld.edu.au