Closing of child care subsidy loophole reaping rewards

New figures show the Turnbull Government’s crackdown on dodgy family day care providers rorting the Grandparents Child Care Benefit (GCCB) has saved taxpayers more than $100 million.   Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham said the crackdown had removed dodgy family day care providers from the system and safeguarded legitimate operators and the families…

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Shorten’s special deals before needs-based

Labor’s recycled pledge to Catholic schools from weeks and months ago is a desperate attempt by Bill Shorten to ingratiate himself with Catholic Church leaders at the expense of consistent, needs-based school funding.   Catholic school parents and educators should see through Mr Shorten’s hollow promise of money for two years with no detail for…

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Students flock to Australia from around the world

International students flocked to Australia in record numbers in 2017, with new figures revealing the largest increase recorded in a single year.   Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham said the 2017 international education data showed there were more than 624,000 international students in Australia in 2017, an increase of 13 per cent (or…

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Early learning language program continues to expand

Over 80 000 children at almost 2500 preschools across the country will be given the opportunity to learn a second language this year, thanks to the Turnbull Government’s Early Learning Languages Australia (ELLA) program.   Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham said the ELLA program’s popularity kept growing, with an extra 20 000 children…

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Labor blocks the truth on TAFE SA

A Parliamentary committee dominated by Labor Party members has ducked the hard questions on TAFE SA in a whitewashed report on the debacle released today. Like the ICAC investigation into the Oakden scandal, Jay Weatherill and SA Labor state and federal politicians refused to offer any accountability for the TAFE SA disaster that has left…

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New campaign to tackle orphanage tourism

Joint media release with Minister for Foreign Affairs Julie Bishop The Australian Government is launching a new campaign to prevent Australians from inadvertently contributing to child exploitation through the practice of orphanage tourism, including by participating in misleading volunteer programs. The Smart Volunteering Campaign discourages Australians from any form of short-term, unskilled volunteering in overseas…

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National Review of Teacher Registration

The Turnbull Government, with the support of states and territories, has launched a national review of teacher registration to help tackle key inconsistencies in systems across the country. Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham said the National Review of Teacher Registration, which had been endorsed by state and territory ministers at the Education Council,…

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$47 million for Early Childhood Early Intervention Services in South Australia

Children in South Australia will benefit from early intervention to address developmental delay or disability.   Minister for Social Services Dan Tehan today announced $47 million in Early Childhood and Early Intervention (ECEI) services from the Turnbull Government would be provided through the South Australian Department for Communities and Social Inclusion (DCSI) across the state…

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TEQSA board reappointments

The Turnbull Government has reappointed the board of Australia’s independent national quality assurance and regulatory agency for higher education. Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham said Chief Commissioner Professor Nicholas Saunders AO, Dr Linley Martin and Professor Clifford Walsh have had their terms at the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA) extended. “I…

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Senator Lucy Gichuhi

South Australia’s Liberal Senate team warmly welcomes Senator Lucy Gichuhi as a Liberal Party colleague.   Senator Gichuhi is a well-respected member of the Upper House and is already known for her thoughtful advocacy, strong community connections and defence of individual liberty and choice.   As Senator Gichuhi highlighted in her maiden speech, “Australia is…

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