Recommendation 211

The Australian Government is committed to improving access to and the quality of education for Indigenous people. More information can be found on the Indigenous affairs – Education page on the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet website.

In 2008, all Australian governments agreed to address the disadvantage faced by Indigenous Australians through the Closing the Gap framework. Work towards achieving the Closing the Gap targets, which include life expectancy, child mortality, early childhood education, literacy and numeracy, educational attainment and employment, continues. The Prime Minister's 2017 Closing the Gap Report can be found on the Closing the Gap page on the Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet website.

The Australian Government is funding language revival and maintenance activities in communities and encouraging language learning in schools. The Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages is the first national curriculum document (covering Foundation to Year 10) to provide a way for schools in Australia to support the teaching and learning of languages indigenous to this country. Information about the curriculum can be found on the Australian Curriculum website. The Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA) Framework for Aboriginal Languages and Torres Strait Islander Languages provides for the development of appropriate curricula to support Indigenous bilingual education, which can support children having the opportunity to acquire initial literacy and numeracy in their first language; this has an impact both on Indigenous education outcomes and addressing Indigenous language loss.

The Australian Government's Connected Beginnings program integrates early childhood, maternal and child health, and family support services with schools in a selected number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities experiencing disadvantage. Connected Beginnings aims to better prepare Indigenous children for school. To date, 12 communities are delivering the program with continued progressive implementation.

The Australian Government will continue its commitment to providing universal access to education and early childhood education to all children. The Australian Government's needs based schools funding model allocates funding to state and territory governments as well as non-government education systems. This approach recognises that schools and school systems are best placed to understand the individual needs of students including Indigenous students. It also allows schools and Indigenous communities the autonomy to pursue bilingual education, if they choose.

The National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Strategy(the Strategy) was endorsed by education ministers on 18 September 2015. Under the Strategy, education ministers have agreed to a set of principles and priorities that will inform jurisdictional approaches to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education. Recognising the different roles of governments, the Strategy includes actions that education ministers will take together to complement the efforts of individual jurisdictions. These actions build on existing national initiatives such as the Australian Curriculum and the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers to accelerate the rate of improvement for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander student outcomes.

The Strategy outlines a set of principles and priorities to help direct jurisdictional approaches to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander education. It includes national collaborative actions that education ministers are taking together to support the initiatives that are happening in each state and territory. The Strategy is an important part of the Government's Closing the Gap agenda.

The Australian government will actively participate in the International Year of Indigenous Languages 2019 as a demonstration of its commitment to maintain and revive First Languages.

The Australian Government is committed to improving outcomes for Indigenous students through the schools funding and reform agenda. On 2 May 2017, it announced its Quality Schools package and introduced the enabling legislation, the Australian Education Amendment Bill 2017 on 11 May 2017. The Bill was successfully passed by the Commonwealth Parliament on 23 June 2017, amending the Australian Education Act 2013 to enable the Government to deliver record levels of school recurrent funding from 2018 to 2027.

• From 2018-2027, the Government will deliver a record $243.5 billion in total school recurrent funding. Recurrent funding for schools will grow from a record $17.5 billion in 2017 to $29.5 billion in 2027.This includes an estimated loading of $4.2 billion for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students.
• In 2018, this funding is expected to benefit around 217,390 students who identify as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander. 

Further information can be found on the Quality Schools page on the Department of Education and Training website.

For information about state and territory policies and programmes related to rural, remote and distance education, visit:

• Australian Capital Territory – Education Directorate
• New South Wales – Department of Education
• Northern Territory – Northern Territory Government
• Queensland – Department of Education and Training and School of Distance Education
• South Australia – Department for Education
• Tasmania – Department of Education Tasmania and Tasmanian eSchool
• Victoria – Department of Education and Training and Distance Education Centre Victoria
• Western Australia – Department of Education and School of Isolated and Distance Education