Australia Yearbook - 2001

412 Year Book Australia 2001
3.4 all students understand and acknowledge
the value of Aboriginal and Torres Strait
Islander cultures to Australian society and
possess the knowledge, skills and
understanding to contribute to, and benefit
from, reconciliation between Indigenous
and non-Indigenous Australians
3.5 all students understand and acknowledge
the value of cultural and linguistic diversity
and possess the knowledge, skills and
understanding to contribute to, and benefit
from, such diversity in the Australian
community and internationally
3.6 all students have access to the high quality
education necessary to enable the completion
of school education to Year 12 or its
vocational equivalent and that provides clear
and recognised pathways to employment and
further education and training.
Tertiary education
Tertiary education is mainly provided through
universities and Vocational Education and
Training (VET) institutions such as Technical and
Further Education (TAFE) institutions, secretarial
colleges, and private business or commercial
colleges.
There were 42 higher education institutions
which received operating grants from the
Commonwealth Department of Education,
Training and Youth Affairs (DETYA) in 1999, as
well as the Australian Film, Television and Radio
School, the National Institute of Dramatic Art and
the Australian Defence Force Academy. The
private Bond University in Queensland also
provides teaching at the higher education level.
Apart from the Australian National University
and the Australian Maritime College, which are
established under Commonwealth legislation,
Australian universities operate under State or
Territory legislation. However, they are
autonomous bodies responsible for their own
governance and make their own decisions on
allocation of funding, staffing, and academic
courses.
Most VET in Australia is provided in
government-administered colleges. In some
States and Territories these are referred to as
Colleges or Institutes of TAFE. To a lesser extent,
VET may also be provided by: Institutes of
Technology; some higher education institutions;
schools and agricultural colleges; adult and
community education authorities; private
providers of education (such as business
colleges); and employers. Primary responsibility
for administration of the VET system lies with the
State and Territory Governments. In 1999, there
were 85 TAFE and other government institutes
with 1,132 provider locations delivering VET
training. A further 1,075 community education
providers and 2,465 other providers delivering
VET were at least partly publicly funded. Between
1998 and 1999 there was an 87% increase in the
number of community education providers and
a 29% increase in the number of other providers.
Higher education
Staff
Table 10.7 shows the number of higher education
staff. In 1999 there were almost equal
proportions of women and men. This has
changed somewhat over the last decade; in
1989, 56% of all higher education staff were male.
Higher education staff may be classified as
academic or non-academic. In 1999 there were
more non-academic than academic staff. The
largest numbers of academics were at the lecturer
and senior lecturer levels.
While there were more male than female
academics in 1999, the proportions were closer
than they were a decade earlier. In 1989, 72% of
academics were men, compared to 65% in 1999.
At all academic levels except ‘below lecturer’, the
proportion who were women had substantially
increased. The ‘below lecturer’ level was the
only academic level at which women
outnumbered men.