Education in Australia
| Budget | $489 million (5.10% of GDP) – 56th ranking of government expenditure on education worldwide. |
|---|---|
| Primary languages | English |
| System type | Federal |
| Established compulsory education | 1830s 1870s |
| Total | 99% |
| Male | 99% |
| Female | 99% |
| Total | 20.4% of population |
| Primary | 1.9 million |
| Secondary | 1.4 million |
| Post secondary | 1 million |
| Secondary diploma | 75% |
| Post-secondary diploma | 34% |
Education in Australia generally comprises primary education (primary schools), followed by secondary education (high schools), and tertiary education (universities, TAFE colleges, and vocational education and training providers providers). Regulation and funding of education is primarily the responsibility of the States and territories, but the Federal Government also plays a funding role.
Education in Australia is compulsory between the ages of five and fifteen, sixteen or seventeen, depending on the State or territory and date of birth.
For primary and secondary education, government schools educate approximately 60% of Australian students, with approximately 40% in private or independent schools. At the tertiary level, all but one of Australia's 43 universities are public, and student fees are subsidised through a student loan program where payment becomes due when graduates reach a certain income level.
For primary and secondary schools, a national Australian Curriculum is currently under progressive development and implementation.
The Education Index, published with the UN's Human Development Index in 2008, based on data from 2006, lists Australia as 0.993, the highest in the world. In 1966, Australia signed the Convention against Discrimination in Education, which aims to combat discrimination and racial segregation in the field of education.
The regulation, operation, and funding of education is primarily the responsibility of the States and territories, partly because the Federal Government does not have a specific constitutional power to pass laws with respect to education. However, the Federal government helps fund independent or private schools, helps fund public universities and subsidises tertiary education through a national student loan scheme, and regulates vocational education providers.
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