CEET 8th Annual National Conference29 October 2004

Ascot House Melbourne

The current priorities:

following the money trail

Gerald Burke

CEET

www.education.monash.edu.au/centres/ceet

Background Australia

Fast growing high income economy

Exposed to global forces

A less equal society than northern Europe

High rate of immigration and of int’l students

Ageing – but more slowly than most rich countries

Education system

Growing private funding

High average rates of participation

High average quality

Good lifelong pathways for most people

Provision for less advantaged needs to improve

Trying to align education, training and economy

Government objectives

Education and training responsive to the economy Encouraging achievement of disadvantaged Encouraging older persons to stay at work Making the education system more efficient Increasing choice in education and trainingAchieving these while containing public expenditureMeans some reallocation of public monies and

changed organisation

Which priorities are being pursued

• One way of seeing the relative importance given to a policy or an area of education is to look at the money spent on it

Distribution of spending

Total spending by sector, Australia 2003 (approx) Total

$ billion % GovtGovt

$ billlionPrivate $ billion

Enrolments million

Govt schools 18 100 18 0 2.3Non-gov schools 10 57 6 4 1.1VET 5 80 4 1 1.7Universities 12 44 5 7 0.9Total 45 33 12 6.0

Changes in spending

Percentage changes, Australia1997 to 2003

Students Income per

studentTotal

incomeGovernment schools 1 16 17Non-government schools 13 25 41VET 19 -18 -2Universities - total 26 -4 22Universities - government operating grants (including HECS) 0 -7 -7Income in constant prices using WCI to deflate wage elements

Spending on Youth Allowance and Apprenticeships

2002-03 $ billionYouth Allowance 2.24Support for New Apprenticeships 0.57

Some good outcomes, some problems

• Reallocation of public and increased private• More choice• Maybe more efficiency – concerns for quality• Needs of the economy – criticism and some shortages• Equity

little change in low income groups in universities proportion of young people ‘at risk’ not much changed expansion of private schools and the effects initiatives for disadvantaged - but not a big share of funds example of Indigenous people and social cohesion