States Grants (Primary and Secondary Education Assistance) Amendment Bill 1998

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.