Indigenous-Education-Review_DRAFT

Review of Indigenous Education in the Northern Territory
Bruce Wilson
proportion of general expenditure on Indigenous education. The review has not attempted to calculate
this cost specifically, since much of it is included in expenditure reports across hundreds of cost codes.
While it might be useful for the Department to understand the relative costs of educating Indigenous
students by geolocation, it is not essential.
Identifying the detailed costs of Indigenous education as if it were a separate enterprise is not a
requirement for making progress. The review has approached issues of costs from the opposite
perspective: what operations, processes, procedures, structures, programs and support are required to
deliver a high quality education to Indigenous children in the Northern Territory? The costs associated
with delivering an education of that kind will be analysed in a preliminary form in the implementation
plan that will accompany the final version of our report. Nor does the review take a position on the
current quantum of funding of Indigenous education in general. Instead, the report recommends
actions required and the implementation plan will begin to map required spending to put them into
practice.
The review recommends that Northern Territory funding for Indigenous education should be reformed
to ensure that funding is allocated on the basis of clear goals reflected in a strategic plan, and is
maintained for extended periods. This will allow Department units, regions and schools to undertake
long‐term planning, implement, monitor and evaluate key initiatives, and identify progress and modify
plans in the light of evidence.
Australian Government Funding
The report noted above that the Australian Government contribution to Northern Territory education,
at about $248 million in 2013‐14, makes up about 30% of the total income of the Department. These
resources are provided through 30 funding agreements between the two governments. A full list of
these agreements is attached to this report at Appendix 4.
Of these agreements:
10 are National Partnership Agreements (NPA);
15 are Commonwealth Own Purpose Expenditure (COPE) funded;
2 are Special Purpose Payments (under the National Education Agreement); and
3 are funded under other agreement types.
DRAFT
In 2014–15, 23 of the existing 30 funding agreements between the NT Government and the Australian
Government will expire. The remaining seven agreements will provide $226 million in funding to the
Northern Territory Government in the 2014–15 financial year.
Of the 30 agreements, 16 have an emphasis on providing services for Indigenous students. In 2013/14,
these agreements will deliver $76 million in funding to the Northern Territory. Over 60% of this funding
is provided under the Stronger Futures in the Northern Territory National Partnership (SFNT).
Of the 16 agreements allocating funding specifically to Indigenous education, only two will continue in
2014‐15. One is the SFNT, with funding of approximately $50 million in 2014/15. The SFNT
Implementation Plan will provide $659 million over its life (2012‐2022) to improve school readiness,
attendance and achievement in 91 schools across the Northern Territory. Of this total, $413 million is
directed as follows:
Additional Teachers ($166 million)
Additional Housing ($52 million)
Quality Teaching Initiatives ($126 million)
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