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1998
THE PARLIAMENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF
AUSTRALIA
HOUSE OF
REPRESENTATIVES
STATES
GRANTS (PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ASSISTANCE) AMENDMENT BILL
1998
EXPLANATORY
MEMORANDUM
(Circulated
by authority of the Minister for Education, Training and Youth Affairs, the Hon
Dr David Kemp MP)
ISBN: 0642 37711 1
EXPLANATORY
MEMORANDUM
OUTLINE
This Bill amends the States Grants (Primary and Secondary Education
Assistance) Act 1996 (the Act) to give effect to initiatives announced in
the 1998-99 Budget:
• $21 million for the introduction of Full
Service Schools over three years from 1998 to provide additional support to
schools to develop innovative programmes and services that address the needs of
young people returning to school following the introduction of the Youth
Allowance and for current students who are at risk of not completing Year 12 or
making a successful transition from school to training or employment; and
• $40.2 million for the extension of the National Asian Languages and
Studies in Australian Schools (NALSAS) strategy to support enhanced and expanded
Asian languages and Asian studies provision through all school systems in order
to improve Australia’s capacity and preparedness to interact
internationally, particularly with key Asian economies.
The Bill also
contains provisions which:
• change the funding schedules for
Literacy and Country Areas programmes for 1999 and 2000 to vary the funding
allocations provided to State and Territory government and non-government
education authorities under the Literacy and Country Areas programmes on the
basis of relative need, using the most up-to-date Australian Bureau of
Statistics Census data;
• from 1999, enable the Minister to vary
funding allocations provided to State and Territory government and
non-government education authorities under the Literacy and Country Areas
programmes on the basis of relative need, using the most up-to-date Australian
Bureau of Statistics Census data as it becomes available;
• change
funding schedules for capital grants for government and non-government schools
to insert amounts of capital funding for 2001, 2002 and 2003;
• vary
the amounts of 1997 and 1998 recurrent and capital grants in respect of the 1997
and 1998 supplementation and provide for its flow on effects for 1999 and 2000;
and
• rectify an inadvertent omission in the original Act to provide
for grants for expenditure on special education at or in connection with
non-government centres to allow the full range of special education services to
be provided under the legislation.
The Bill also contains a technical
amendment concerning the exercise of powers of the Governor-General. Section
78(1) ‘Cost Supplementation’, has been amended to clarify the
Minister’s responsibility in determining cost supplementation prior to the
Governor-General making a regulation.
There are also a number of
amendments resulting from a stylistic change required under new formatting
rules. This has meant the insertion of the words “the table in”
into relevant sections in the body of the Act which make reference to the tables
in Schedules 1 to 8 of the Act.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
Total grant levels for schools for the 1998 programme year are estimated
to be close to $3.9 billion. Funds appropriated for the 1998 programme year are
estimated to be some $3.2 billion for general recurrent grants to government and
non-government schools, $300 million for capital grants to government and
non-government schools, and $363 million for targeted programmes.
STATES GRANTS (PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ASSISTANCE)
AMENDMENT BILL 1998
NOTES ON CLAUSES
Clause 1 - Short Title
Clause 1 provides for this Act
to be cited as the States Grants (Primary and Secondary Education Assistance)
Amendment Act 1998.
Clause 2 - Commencement
Clause
2 provides for this Act to commence on the day on which it receives the Royal
Assent.
Clause 3 - Schedule(s)
Clause 3 provides that
each Act that is specified in a Schedule is amended or repealed as set out in
the applicable Schedule.
SCHEDULE 1
AMENDMENT OF THE STATES GRANTS
(PRIMARY AND SECONDARY EDUCATION ASSISTANCE) ACT 1996
Items 1-6, 8-9, 14, 19 and 22
Minor changes to the
description of references to the tables in Schedules 1 to 8 of the
Act.
Item 7
Amends subsection 67(2) by adding funding
for projects under the Full Service Schools programme (inserted by item 15) to
the objects of Part 9.
Items 10, 12, 13 and 24
Updates
funding amounts at subsections 70(1), 73(2), 74(2) and Schedules 1-8 from 1997
initial prices to 1998 final prices.
Item 11
Amends
paragraph 72(1)(a) to clarify that the full range of special education services
are able to be supported under the Act and in particular, to ensure that grants
to non-government centres are not limited to special education activities
conducted “at” non-government centres.
Item 15
Inserts a new section 76A to allow the Minister to approve projects
under the Full Service Schools programme which provides additional funding for
schools, industry and community groups to assist in alleviating the concerns of
parents, the community and young people following the introduction of the youth
allowance.
Items 16-18
Amends subsection 78(1) to
clarify that the Minister rather than the Governor-General is responsible for
determining cost supplementation amounts prior to the Governor-General making a
regulation under section 78.
Item 20
Makes changes to
paragraph 78(6)(a) to reflect the introduction of the Full Service Schools
Programme by item 15 and a minor change to the description of references to the
table in Schedule 8 (as amended by item 24).
Item
21
Inserts a new section 78A to allow the Minister to make a
determination during a programme year varying some or all of the amounts set out
in columns 2 and 3 of the table in Schedule 6 (Grants Under the Literacy
Programme).
Item 23
Inserts a new subsections 79(2A)
and (2B) to allow the Minister to make a determination during a programme year
varying some or all of the amounts set out in columns 5 and 6 of the table in
Schedule 8 (Grants Under the Country Areas Programme).
Item
24
Amends the tables in Schedules 1-8 to update all legislated
funding amounts from 1997 initial prices to 1998 final prices (including the
effect of 1997 price supplementation) to ensure those amounts are consistent and
comparable across all programmes.
Amends the tables in Schedules 2 and
4 to appropriate funds for capital grants for 2001- 2003 (in 1998
prices).
Updates Schedule 6 to reflect the new funding split for the
Literacy Programme between government and non-government sectors from 1999
onwards.
Amends Schedule 7 to move additional 1998 funding for the
National Asian Languages and Studies in Australian Schools (NALSAS) Strategy to
1999.
Inserts a new Column 7 in Schedule 8 to reflect the introduction of
the Full Service Schools Programme inserted by item 15.
Updates
Schedule 8 to reflect the new funding split for the Country Areas Programme
between government and non-government sectors from 1999
onwards.
Item 25
Inserts a new definition of
“youth allowance” in the Dictionary in Schedule 9 for the purposes
of the Full Service Schools Programme inserted by item 15.