New resource hub to benefit 1.2m children

The Turnbull Government has launched a free one-stop shop for Australia’s 150,000 early childhood educators to deliver better care and outcomes for children and families. Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham said the new Early Childhood Resource Hub features more than 300 digital resources, as well as discussion threads for educators to collaborate and learn from…

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Labor’s child care ‘crocodile tears’

Labor’s rank child care hypocrisy was on stark display in an astonishing press release today that ignored the work the Coalition has done to reduce the ballooning child care fee growth that became the norm under Labor. “The reality is that this Government hasn’t done a single thing to help families access affordable child care.”…

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New data: Government slows child care cost increases

Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham said new departmental data from the early education and care sector for the 2015 June quarter has highlighted that fees only grew by 3.6 per cent compared to an average annual increase of 7.8 per cent during Labor’s time in office. Minister Birmingham said the Coalition Government’s compliance…

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Labor’s mistakes slug taxpayers

The latest PBO analysis on the Higher Education Loan Programme highlights that Labor’s poorly-executed policies will hit taxpayers with a bill worth more than $4.9 billion per year. We know that Labor and their higher education spokesman Kim Carr aren’t good on detail, but today’s analysis from the PBO confirms that Labor sought to mislead…

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Labor lies on schools #5

Kate Ellis and Jenny Macklin have ignored their own track record on Labor’s support for students with disability, ramping up their cynical scare campaign against vulnerable families and students. “The Liberal Government has cut the $100 million a year More Support for Students With Disabilities program…” – Kate Ellis and Jenny Macklin, Media Release, 18/4/16…

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App to revive language learning

Around another 3,000 pre-schoolers across the country will start learning Chinese as a second language through an app the Federal Education Minister has described as “vital” to Australia unlocking the full potential of our relationship with China.   Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham said the Turnbull Government is offering more than 300 preschools…

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Labor lies on schools #4: Students with disability

Labor has decided to play politics with disability, making vulnerable families and students the next targets in their desperate education scare campaign.   “…the Turnbull Government’s cuts to the More Support for Students with Disability program” – Kate Ellis and Jenny Macklin, Media Release, 13/4/16   FACT: The program was only ever a short-term temporary…

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School compliance with the Education Act

“In May 2015 my department initiated a formal review into six school authorities affiliated with the Australian Federation of Islamic Councils (AFIC) following ongoing concerns about their independence, financial management and governance arrangements. “As a result of this review, on 13 November 2015, my department issued a Notice of proposed decision to each of the…

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The increasing costs of higher education

As the PBO acknowledges and as official Government figures show, the costs to taxpayers of higher education have, over recent years, grown dramatically.    Since 2009, with the demand driven system, taxpayer funding for Commonwealth supported places in higher education has increased by 59 per cent as compared to 29 per cent growth in nominal…

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Panel takes submissions on uni entry standards

A panel of experts has begun taking submissions on how to improve the transparency of higher education admissions as the Turnbull Government looks to ensure students have the information they need to make choices about their further studies. Minister for Education and Training Simon Birmingham said he has asked the Higher Education Standards Panel to…

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