Governing the City State - Chief Minister and Treasury Directorate ...

It is interesting to note in this context that class sizes in the ACT are small by nationalstandards. A Table published in the Sun Herald on 24 October 2010, indicated:Table 9 – Different Class Sizes in Primary Schools 217STUDENTS 20 or less (%) 21 – 25 (%) 26 – 30 (%) More than 30 (%)ACT 38 52 10 1NSW 27 36 32 4QLD 26 48 26 1SA 35 34 28 4NT 30 54 14 3VIC 36 49 15 1TAS 31 51 17 1WA 26 42 27 5More is said about cross border service delivery in Chapter 2, but education is a significantunfunded area for the ACT Government in this domain. While some recognition of thesecosts comes through Commonwealth Grants Commission (CGC) processes, ACT taxpayersbear the cost of providing public school education services to regional students. The need forbetter data collection to ensure proper evidence can be provided to the CGC, as well asoptions for better recovering cross border costs from non-resident students will need to beconsidered in the future. There is, unlike health, no obligation on the ACT to provide freeeducation to New South Wales residents.The Review notes the Commonwealth Government has commissioned a Review of Fundingin Schooling. 218 That Review’s stated aim is to achieve a funding system for the periodbeyond 2013 which is transparent, fair, financially sustainable and effective in promotingexcellent educational outcomes for all Australian students. It will examine the fundingarrangements for schooling that are currently in place, to see how well they support allstudents to reach their educational potential. It is the first comprehensive CommonwealthGovernment review of school funding in over 30 years.The Funding Review is due to report by the end of 2011. The Commonwealth Governmenthas given an undertaking that the existing funding arrangements for all schools, includingcurrent indexation arrangements, will be extended until the end of 2013. Under the currentarrangements, the Commonwealth Government provides the majority of its funding to nongovernmentschools, and state and territory governments provide the majority of theirfunding to government schools.Canberra Institute of Technology and the University of CanberraAs the ACT’s largest publicly owned educational institution with Registered TrainingOrganisation status, CIT manages the major component of the ACT’s vocational educationand training (VET) commitment, working closely with industry and community. TheInstitute’s functions are set out in the Canberra Institute of Technology Act (1987). 219 CIT217 Bibby, P. “Class sizes ‘hit students who need the most help’ The Sun-Herald, 24 October based on “The State of OurSchools Survey” by the Australian Education Union.218 See http://www.deewr.gov.au/Schooling/ReviewofFunding/Pages/default.aspx219 See http://www.legislation.act.gov.au/a/1987-71/default.aspAdministrative Arrangements Changes: 164