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Our portfolio

Ministers

Image of the Hon Dan Tehan MP
The Hon Dan Tehan MP Minister for Education (from 28 August 2018)

Image of the Hon Simon Birmingham
Senator the Hon Simon Birmingham Minister for Education and Training (from 21 September 2015 to 28 August 2018)

Image of Senator the Hon Richard Colbeck
Senator the Hon Richard Colbeck Minister for Youth and Sport Minister for Aged Care and Senior Australians (from 29 May 2019)

Image of the Hon Michaelia Cash
Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash Minister for Small and Family Business, Skills and Vocational Education (from 28 August 2018 to 29 May 2019)

Image of the Hon Mark Coulton
The Hon Mark Coulton MP Minister for Regional Services, Decentralisation and Local Government Assistant Trade and Investment Minister (from 29 May 2019)
Image of the Hon Karen Andrews
The Hon Karen Andrews MP Assistant Minister for Vocational Education and Skills (from 19 July 2016 to 28 August 2018)

Note: Under the Administrative Arrangements Order of 29 May 2019, responsibility for skills and vocational education was transferred to the Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business portfolio.

Department of Education and Training

Dr Michele Bruniges AM | Secretary

Outcome 1: Improved early learning, schooling, student education outcomes and transitions to and from school through access to quality child care, support, parent engagement, quality teaching and learning environments.

Outcome 2: Promote growth in economic productivity and social wellbeing through access to quality higher education, international education, and international quality research.1

Accountable authority

Dr Michele Bruniges AM, Secretary of the Department of Education, was the department’s accountable authority throughout 2018–19.

Portfolio responsibilities

Under the Administrative Arrangements Order of 29 May 2019, responsibility for skills and vocational education was transferred to the Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business portfolio. As a result of this machinery-of-government change, the name of the department changed from the ‘Department of Education and Training’ to the ‘Department of Education’ from 29 May 2019.

Portfolio entities

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority

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David de Carvalho | Chief Executive Officer

Outcome: Improved quality and consistency of school education in Australia through a national curriculum, national assessment, data collection, and performance reporting system.

Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership

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Mark Grant | Chief Executive Officer

Outcome: Enhance the quality of teaching and school leadership through developing standards, recognising teaching excellence, providing professional development opportunities, and supporting the teaching profession.

Australian Research Council

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Professor Sue Thomas | Chief Executive Officer

Outcome: Growth of knowledge and innovation through managing research funding schemes, measuring research excellence and providing advice.

Australian Skills Quality Authority

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Mark Paterson AO | Chief Commissioner and Chief Executive Officer

Outcome: Contribute to a high quality vocational education and training sector, including through streamlined and nationally consistent regulation of training providers and courses, and the communication of advice to the sector on improvements to the quality of vocational education and training.2

Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency

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Anthony McClaran | Chief Executive Officer

Outcome: Contribute to a high quality higher education sector through streamlined and nationally consistent higher education regulatory arrangements; registration of higher education providers; accreditation of higher education courses; and investigation, quality assurance and dissemination of higher education standards and performance.

Footnotes

  1. Department of Education outcome statements as at 30 June 2019. Under the Administrative Agreements Order of 29 May 2019, responsibility for skills and vocational education was transferred to the Department of Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business.
  2. Under the Administrative Agreements Order of 29 May 2019, responsibility for skills and vocational education was transferred to the Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business portfolio.