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Budget 1999-2000
FACT SHEET
IMPROVING OPPORTUNITIES FOR INDIGENOUS AUSTRALIANS
- The ‘Making A Difference: The impact of Australia’s indigenous education and
training policy’ report undertaken by the NCVER shows that there has been
"… enormous improvement in Indigenous access to and participation in all forms
of education and training in Australia. Parity between indigenous and non-indigenous
people is within sight in some sectors and amongst some age groups…" (p. ix).
- The report shows that retention rates to Year 12 for Indigenous students has risen from
12.3 per cent in 1989 to 29.2 per cent in 1996.
- Higher education participation rates for Indigenous people aged 18-20 rose from 2 per
cent in 1986 to 5.2 per cent in 1996. The actual number of Indigenous Australians
participating in higher education has risen from under 2000 in 1987 to 7,789 in 1998.
Indigenous Education Strategic Initiatives Programme (IESIP)
- The Indigenous Education (Supplementary Assistance) Act 1989 appropriates
funding for the Indigenous Education Strategic Initiatives Programme (IESIP), which is the
Commonwealth’s principal programme for addressing the educational disadvantage of
Indigenous Australians.
- IESIP supports the achievement of equity in education for Indigenous Australians
through:
- involving Indigenous community members in educational decision-making;
- providing equality of access to educational services;
- raising the rates of Indigenous Australian educational participation to those of all
Australians;
- achieving equitable and appropriate educational outcomes.
- IESIP funding in 1999-2000 will total almost $130 million. The first Coalition Budget
for 1996-97 committed an additional $143 million from 1995-1996 to 1998-1999 across a
range of programmes including an extra $80 million over four years under IESIP. The
1999-2000 Federal Budget sees this level of funding being maintained in line with the
Government’s firm commitment to ensure the achievement of equitable and appropriate
educational outcomes for Indigenous Australians.
- In addition, a number of changes will be made to streamline the programme’s
administrative arrangements. IESIP is based on agreed performance indicators and
improvement targets for Indigenous students in relation to the 21 goals of the Aboriginal
Education Policy. All State and Territory governments as well as other education providers
in receipt of IESIP funding have set performance indicators for the measurement of
progress throughout the 1997-1999 triennium.
- The current IESIP triennium, 1997-1999, will be extended for a further year to include
2000 to allow IESIP to move to a quadrennial funding programme and align with the
Commonwealth’s major schools funding programmes. The current performance indicators
and targets will be restructured for the 2001-2004 IESIP quadrennium to improve outcomes
reporting.
- In December 1998, the Government announced changes to ABSTUDY to take effect from
1 January 2000 which will align ABSTUDY living allowance payments for students
aged 16-20 with rates payable for the Youth Allowance and for students aged 21 years and
over with the Newstart payment. The changes enable ABSTUDY recipients to access the Youth
Allowance benefits such as rent assistance and the pharmaceutical allowance. The changes
will ensure that benefits payable to Indigenous students will be the same as those paid to
non-Indigenous students except in cases where such alignment clearly did not cater
effectively for the particular disadvantages faced by an Indigenous student.
- Under the new ABSTUDY arrangements, the ‘mixed-mode’ away-from-base element
will be transferred from ABSTUDY to IESIP. Funds under the ‘mixed-mode’
away-from-base element will be paid in the form of a block grant to institutions for the
purchase of agreed education outcomes.
Indigenous Education Direct Assistance (IEDA) Programme
- Funding for the Indigenous Education Direct Assistance (IEDA) Programme in 1999-2000
will total some $62.3 million. This compares with $60.2 million in 1998-99. IEDA has three
elements, namely: the Aboriginal Tutorial Assistance Scheme, the Aboriginal Student
Support and Parent Awareness Programme and the Vocational and Educational Guidance for
Aboriginals Scheme.
- Under the Aboriginal Tutorial Assistance Scheme (ATAS), Indigenous students may receive
supplementary tutorial assistance and other kinds of study help. The aim of ATAS is to
assist Indigenous students to achieve educational outcomes equal to those of other
Australians.
- The Vocational and Educational Guidance for Aboriginals Scheme (VEGAS) funds activities
to improve retention rates and develop informed further education, training and employment
options. The scheme provides grants to sponsoring organisations to:
- conduct projects for Indigenous Australian secondary school students and their parents;
- conduct projects for Indigenous Australian prisoners which foster positive attitudes
towards participation in education; and
- provide information to assist Indigenous secondary school students and their parents to
consider options available for further study or a career.
- Under the Aboriginal Student Support and Parent Awareness (ASSPA) programme, the
Government provides funding to school-based parent committees for a variety of pre-school
and school-based activities designed to enhance educational opportunities for Indigenous
students in preschool, primary and secondary schools and to involve Indigenous parents in
educational decision making processes.
New Strategies
- The National Indigenous English Literacy and Numeracy Strategy will allocate
existing funds over the years 2000 to 2004 to provide assistance by supporting the
identification and dissemination of best practice models and teaching methods drawn from
various pilot projects currently being undertaken. The strategy will support the goals of
the National Literacy and Numeracy Plan and the National Goals for Schooling
framework by addressing the specific needs of Indigenous education.
- The National Indigenous Students’ School Attendance Strategy will allocate
$14 million out of existing funds over the years 2000 to 2004 to encourage better
school attendance for Indigenous students. There is widespread agreement across education
providers, parents and Indigenous education bodies that regular school attendance is
critical to students’ chances of achieving successful educational outcomes. The
strategy will assist State and Territory governments and non-government authorities to
improve attendance outcomes by supporting the implementation of best practice attendance
initiatives, such as professional development and cultural awareness training for
teachers, and projects to assist in affirming students’ cultural identity and to
facilitate community input into teaching programmes.
Media Release
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