The latest data from the early education and care sector shows the Turnbull Government has continued the downward trend in child care price increases. Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham said new departmental data showed average child care hourly fees grew by 5.2 per cent in the year to September 2015, well-below the…
More than 7,500 initial teacher education students have already sat or registered to sit a new test that will ensure all new teachers’ literacy and numeracy skills are in the top 30 per cent of the adult population. Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham said of the teaching students who had sat the test…
Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham has called on schools, families and education experts to focus on evidence-based measures to lift student achievement in the face of flat results from the 2016 NAPLAN tests. “We need to focus on evidence based measures that will get results for our students because today’s results once again…
The Turnbull Government has announced an additional $16 million for 10 critical research projects that will generate meaningful social and economic benefits for all Australians in areas including urban infrastructure, bioscience, telecommunications and health. Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham said the investment from the National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) Agility Fund would…
It seems Labor’s new Shadow Minister for Education Tanya Plibersek needs a lesson in education policy and electoral mathematics after her first major interview since assuming the role. Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham said Ms Plibersek needs to stop talking down schools and teachers and to end the lies about “cuts” to…
With the Australian people having rebuffed Labor’s higher taxing, higher spending and higher deficit plans, the test for Labor’s new education team is whether they can instead support evidence based reforms to improve student results, instead of resorting to the same old 'more money equals better outcomes' Labor approach of the past. We must…
The Turnbull Government welcomes Australia’s largest personal philanthropic contribution to a university to expand the Tuckwell Scholarship Program at the Australian National University (ANU). Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham said the contribution was made by philanthropists Graham and Louise Tuckwell and was worth about $200 million over 30 years. Minister Birmingham…
I am honoured to have been reappointed as the Minister for Education and Training. The Coalition took to the election strong, clear policies in early education and child care, schools and higher education, which I look forward to delivering. Our early education and child care reforms have been the subject of extensive consultation and will…
Labor’s failure to adopt the Coalition’s means test would deliver an annual windfall of up to $176 million to families earning over $250,000 at the expense of low to middle income working families. Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham said that splashing up to $176 million a year on higher income earners doesn’t pass…
Labor’s entry into the child care policy debate after three years of silence today revisits their 2007 election promise to build 260 new child care centres which then-Minister for Child Care Kate Ellis would backflip on after the election. Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham said yesterday Labor committed to continuing a broken child…