Target

100% of the Child Care Safety Net supports vulnerable and disadvantaged families and communities.

Result

ACHIEVED

Community Child Care Fund

All allocated Community Child Care Fund (CCCF) funding was provided to support services assessed as meeting eligibility criteria relating to delivering services to vulnerable and disadvantaged families and communities.

Other elements of the Child Care Safety Net

In the three quarters to March 2019, 40,760 children (27,200 families) had accessed the Additional Child Care Subsidy (ACCS).

Analysis

Community Child Care Fund

Funding in 2018–19 was available to eligible services under the Open Competitive Round 1, CCCF Restricted non-competitive round, and Special Circumstances. Established Connected Beginnings sites were also funded during this time.

A total of $104 million was allocated to support:

• over 700 services under the Open Competitive Round 1 (including Special Circumstances)
• 159 services eligible under the Restricted non-competitive round
• 14 Connected Beginnings sites.

Other elements of the Child Care Safety Net

The ACCS provides additional fee assistance to support vulnerable or disadvantaged families and children.

The ACCS is part of the child care package that was implemented on 2 July 2018, and data indicates that the ACCS is achieving its goal of supporting vulnerable and disadvantaged families.

Source

Department of Human Services and Department of Social Services administrative data; Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) and other data sources relevant to determining disadvantage.

Limitations

Figures and payments are not directly comparable with the old payments (Special Child Care Benefit, Grandparent Child Care Benefit, and Jobs, Education and Training Child Care Fee Assistance) due to differing policy settings between the ACCS and the old payments.

Methodology

Community Child Care Fund

Recipients receiving funds under the Open Competitive Round 1, Restricted non-competitive round, Connected Beginnings, and Special Circumstances met eligibility criteria relating to delivering child care services to vulnerable and disadvantaged families and communities. Prior to CCCF Round 2, ABS and Australian Early Development Census data was used to determine the level of disadvantage or vulnerability in order to inform priority areas.

Other elements of the Child Care Safety Net

Child care providers have a role in identifying children who require extra support through the ACCS (child wellbeing). Families apply directly to the Department of Human Services to

access ACCS (grandparent), ACCS (temporary financial hardship) and ACCS (transition to work) payments.

Target

At least 90% of families transition to the new Child Care Subsidy.

Result

ACHIEVED

Over 1.02 million families completed and updated their income and activity assessment details by 2 July 2018 in order to transition to the new Child Care Subsidy. This compares well to the number of families using child care during the June quarter 2018—882,540 families.

Of 6,053 existing child care providers, 6,040 (12,732 of 12,745 child care services) transitioned to the new arrangements. This represents over 99% of child care providers.

Analysis

1,024,259 families completed transition activities by 2 July 2018.

Source

Department of Human Services administrative data.

Methodology

Numbers of families, child care providers and services are sourced from operational systems maintained by the Department of Human Services. Transition numbers are measured against the number of families who had at least one child in approved child care in the June quarter 2018 (882,540 families).

Target

At least 90% of child care payments to all services are accurate.

Result

ACHIEVED

As a result of the department’s compliance and fraud activities, the payment accuracy of child care fee assistance reported by child care providers on behalf of families is 96% in 2018–19.

Analysis

This result can be attributed to the department’s implementation of the child care package and its compliance and fraud monitoring activities.

Source

Independent actuarial assessment of random sample parent checks against DHS payment data.

Methodology

Child care payments made to providers on behalf of parents are sourced from operational systems maintained by the Department of Human Services. This information is compared with information provided by parents of children using child care services.

Target

95% of Indigenous children enrolled in early childhood education in the year before full-time school are enrolled for 600 hours per year.

Result

ACHIEVED

Nationally in 2018, 95.6% of Indigenous children enrolled in early childhood education in the year before full-time school for 600 hours per year (see Figure 2.1).

Analysis

The target is tied to funding offered to states and territories under the National Partnership on Universal Access to Early Childhood Education to incentivise state and territory action.

State and territory governments are responsible for preschool delivery, with the Commonwealth’s funding a contribution to increase participation rates.

States and territories’ implementation plans under the National Partnership are the means to work towards meeting the target, and are used as the basis for assessing performance according to the agreed methodology.

Source

2018 National Early Childhood Education and Care Collection, drawing on ABS, Preschool Education, Australia, 2018, cat. no. 4240.0.

Methodology

The proportion of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 4 and 5 years as at 1 July of the collection year, who are enrolled for 600 hours in the year before full-time schooling in a quality early childhood education program, as a proportion of the total number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 4 and 5 years who are enrolled.

Target

95% of vulnerable and disadvantaged children enrolled in early childhood education in the year before full-time school are enrolled for 600 hours per year.

Result

NOT ACHIEVED

Nationally in 2018, 94.2% of vulnerable and disadvantaged children enrolled in early childhood education in the year before full-time school for 600 hours per year.

Analysis

The target is tied to funding offered to states and territories under the National Partnership on Universal Access to Early Childhood Education to incentivise state and territory action.

State and territory governments are responsible for preschool delivery, with the Commonwealth’s funding a contribution to increase participation rates.

States and territories’ implementation plans under the National Partnership are the means to work towards meeting the target, and are used as the basis for assessing performance according to the agreed methodology.

The Commonwealth continues to undertake analysis to determine what further Commonwealth and state and territory actions could improve performance against the target.

Source

2018 National Early Childhood Education and Care Collection, drawing on ABS, Preschool Education, Australia, 2018, cat. no. 4240.0.

Methodology

The proportion of children aged 4 and 5 years as at 1 July of the collection year, who reside in disadvantaged areas and are enrolled for 600 hours in the year before full-time schooling in a quality early childhood education program, as a proportion of the estimated number of children aged 4 and 5 years who reside in disadvantaged areas and who are enrolled.

Target

Lift the Year 12 (or equivalent) or Certificate III attainment rate to 90% by 2020 (measured as trend towards target).

Result

ON TRACK

The percentage of 20- to 24-year-olds with Year 12 (or equivalent) or Certificate III was 88.8% in May 2018 (see Figure 2.2).

Analysis

This is an improvement from the 2017 figure of 86.4% and is slightly ahead of the trend line to the 2020 target. Although there have been fluctuations in recent years, the longer-term trend is upwards and approaching 90%.

Source

ABS, Education and Work, Australia, May 2018, cat. no. 6227.0.

Methodology

Survey of Education and Work conducted throughout Australia. Data is drawn from the 20 to 24 years age grouping with Year 12 (or equivalent) or Certificate III attainment.

Target

Halve the gap for Indigenous children in reading, writing and numeracy within a decade (2008–2018).

Result

NOT ACHIEVED

Where the average gap across all year levels in reading and numeracy was 23% in 2008, by 2018 the average gap had narrowed to 16.3%.

Analysis

Gains have been made in reading and numeracy achievements for Indigenous children, narrowing the gap in outcomes with non-Indigenous children over the past 10 years across all year groups. Schooling achievements for a disproportionate share of Indigenous children remain below the national minimum standards in all target domains.

Source

Australian Curriculum, Assessment and Reporting Authority (ACARA).

Methodology

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet methodology: ACARA reports on the proportion of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students achieving at or above the national minimum standard in National Assessment Program – Literacy and Numeracy (NAPLAN). The base year for NAPLAN data is 2008.

Limitations

The target as originally agreed also included writing results. However, due to a change in the test from narrative writing to persuasive writing, the writing results from 2011 onwards are not comparable with results from previous years, and so have been excluded.

Target

Reduce the gap in school attendance for Indigenous students.

Result

NOT ACHIEVED

The gap between attendance of Indigenous and non-Indigenous students increased between 2014 and 2018:

Analysis

In 2018, the overall attendance rate for both Indigenous and non-Indigenous students declined (see Figure 2.3). The gap in school attendance for Indigenous students increased in 2018 by a margin of 0.5 percentage points as compared to 2014. While there is an increase in the gap for 2018, there was a reduction in the gap in 2015 and it remained relatively stable in 2016 and 2017.

Source

Productivity Commission, Report on Government Services 2019, Table 4A.20, Table 4A.21; ACARA, National Report on Schooling in Australia.

Methodology

Attendance rates are the number of actual full-time-equivalent student days attended by

full-time students in Years 1 to 10 as a percentage of the total number of possible student days attended over the period.

Target

Halve the gap in attainment rates in Year 12 or equivalent, for Indigenous people aged 20 to 24, by 2020 (measured as trend towards target).

Result

Analysis

Although there have been fluctuations in recent years, the longer-term trend is towards the target. The gap in attainment rates between Indigenous and non-Indigenous 20- to 24-year-olds with Year 12 (or equivalent) or Certificate III decreased between 2006 and 2016.

Source

ABS, National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Social Survey, cat. no. 4714.0; ABS, Census of Population and Housing, 2016.

Methodology

Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet methodology using ABS data.

Limitations

The target year is 2020 but ABS Census data on Year 12 attainment will not be available for 2020. Instead, data from the 2021 Census will be used to assess whether or not the target has been achieved.

Contributing programs

1.5 – Government Schools National Support

1.6 – Non-Government Schools National Support

1.7 – Early Learning and Schools Support

Target

The proportion of the 20- to 34-year-old population with a tertiary qualification is stable or increases from the previous year.

Result

ACHIEVED

The proportion of the 20- to 34-year-old population with a tertiary qualification remained stable from the previous year:

• 2018—65.6%
• 2017—65.7%

Analysis

The proportion has remained stable over the past two years. The decline between 2017 and 2018 is 0.1 percentage points and within the bounds of survey error.

Source

ABS, Education and Work, Australia, May 2018, cat. no. 6227.0, Table 9.

Methodology

Annual results are benchmarked against previous results to identify trends.

Target

At least 85% of undergraduates are employed within four months of completing degree.

Result

ACHIEVED

87% of undergraduates are employed within four months of completing degree (see Figure 2.4).

Analysis

Employment outcomes improved steadily for graduates between 2017 and 2018, consistent with improvements in the overall labour market.

Source

Quality Indicators for Learning and Teaching (QILT), Graduate Outcomes Survey.

Methodology

Annual results are benchmarked against previous results as a quality assurance measure and to identify trends.

Target

The rate of attrition for domestic bachelor students is less than 15%.

Result

ACHIEVED

The rate of attrition for domestic bachelor students is 14.93%.

Analysis

The 2017 new adjusted attrition rate for domestic commencing bachelor students was below 15.0%. Some institutions experienced increasing attrition in 2017, while attrition declined in others.

Source

Department of Education, Higher Education Statistics Collection.

Methodology

Annual results are benchmarked against previous results as a quality assurance measure and to identify trends.

Target

All 27 eligible universities are able to meet specified superannuation expenses.

Result

ACHIEVED

The department has provided funding based on information provided by the universities and their superannuation funds. This has allowed all 27 eligible universities to meet the payments required to fund specified superannuation expenses.

Analysis

The department made an initial payment determination in November 2018 to provide for funding for the initial part of the 2019 calendar year. The department made final determinations in May and July 2019 to finalise amounts based on actual figures.

Source

Department of Education, Higher Education Superannuation Program administrative data.

Methodology

Estimates are provided by universities and superannuation funds, then paid by the department, and acquitted and adjusted (if required) in the following calendar year. All claims are certified by an authorised university officer and are verified by the department against supporting documentation prior to processing in Unipay.

Target

At least 85% of employers are satisfied with the skills of graduates (overall across all skills).

Result

ACHIEVED

85% of employers are satisfied with the skills of graduates overall, across all skills.

Analysis

Overall employer satisfaction with graduates increased slightly in 2018, although the increase is within survey error. Direct supervisors remain highly satisfied with graduates.

Source

QILT, Employer Satisfaction Survey.

Methodology

Annual results are benchmarked against previous results as a quality assurance measure and to identify trends.

Target

At least 80% of undergraduate students rate the teaching quality at their institution positively.

Result

ACHIEVED

81% of undergraduate students rate the teaching quality at their institution positively.

Analysis

The proportion of undergraduate students providing positive ratings of the teaching quality at their institution has fluctuated only very slightly since first recorded in 2012. The stability of this measure at around 80% is evidence of the ongoing high quality of teaching within the Australian higher education system as a whole.

Source

QILT, Student Experience Survey.

Methodology

Annual results are benchmarked against previous results as a quality assurance measure and to identify trends.

Target

At least 18% of domestic undergraduates are from a low socioeconomic status (SES) background (based on postcode).

Result

ACHIEVED

18.7% of domestic undergraduates are from a low SES background (based on postcode) (see Figure 2.5).

Analysis

Low SES students are more responsive to improvements in labour market conditions, and while the proportion of domestic undergraduate low SES students (postcode measure) has remained stable in rounded terms, it has fallen slightly in unrounded terms in 2018.

Source

Department of Education, Higher Education Statistics Collection.

Methodology

Student enrolment data as reported by Table A and Table B universities (as listed under the Higher Education Support Act 2003) through the department’s Higher Education Information Management System. SES measured at the postcode level, as defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Percentage represents low SES enrolments as a proportion of total domestic undergraduate enrolments.

Target

At least 16% of domestic undergraduates are from a low socioeconomic status (SES) background (based on Statistical Area Level 1).

Result

ACHIEVED

17% of domestic undergraduates are from a low SES background (based on Statistical Area Level 1).

Analysis

Low SES students are more responsive to improvements in labour market conditions, hence the proportion of domestic undergraduate low SES students (Statistical Area Level 1 measure) has fallen in 2018.

Source

Department of Education, Higher Education Statistics Collection.

Methodology

Student enrolment data as reported by Table A and Table B universities (as listed under the Higher Education Support Act 2003) through the department’s Higher Education Information Management System. SES measured at the Statistical Area Level 1, as defined by the Australian Bureau of Statistics. Percentage represents low SES enrolments as a proportion of total domestic undergraduate enrolments.

Target

At least 2% of higher education students are Indigenous.

Result

NOT ACHIEVED

1.9% are Indigenous.

Analysis

The proportion of Indigenous students increased in 2018, continuing the steady improvement in Indigenous access to higher education in recent years.

Source

Department of Education, Higher Education Statistics Collection.

Methodology

Student enrolment data as reported by Table A and Table B universities (as listed under the Higher Education Support Act 2003) through the department’s Higher Education Information Management System. Percentage represents Indigenous enrolments as a proportion of total domestic undergraduate enrolments.

Target

The proportion of Higher Education Loan Program (HELP) debt not expected to be repaid is stable or reduces from the previous year.

Result

ACHIEVED

15.76% (subject to finalisation of Australian Government Actuary valuation).

Analysis

Debt not expected to be repaid has decreased from the previous year. This is partly due

to the introduction of a new schedule of HELP repayment thresholds, including a reduction in the minimum threshold, from 2019–20. This is the first annual report that has accounted for the impact of these new thresholds. The VET Student Loans program has different design elements to the previous VET FEE-HELP scheme and is therefore likely to have improved repayment outcomes.

Source

Department of Education, HELP forward estimates model.

Methodology

The amount of new debt not expected to be repaid is modelled by the Australian Government Actuary using historical repayment data in its longitudinal data of HELP debtors.

Target

The proportion of VET Student Loans (VSL) students surveyed who report studying for business- or job-related reasons remains stable or increases from the previous year.

Result

NOT AVAILABLE (see limitations)

The proportion of surveyed students receiving VSL who reported studying for job-related or further study reasons for 2018–19 was 80%.

Analysis

This measure balances industry needs, employment outcomes and student choice.

Source

Department of Education, Higher Education Information Management System, survey on enrolment.

Methodology

The study reason captured from surveyed VSL students was examined for 2018–19 students’ responses. The performance indicator was calculated by totalling the count of allowable values towards employment and study divided by the total of all valid reasons, resulting in the performance indicator of greater than 80%.

Limitations

This result cannot be directly compared to the figure reported for the 2017 calendar year of 63%, as this result only related to students who reported studying for job- or business-related reasons and not for further study.

Target

At least 90% of research postgraduates are employed within four months of completing their degree.

Result

ACHIEVED

91.8% of research postgraduates are employed within four months of completing their degree (see Figure 2.4 on page 28).

Analysis

Employment outcomes improved steadily for research postgraduates, from 91% in 2017 to 92% in 2018, consistent with improvements in the overall labour market.

Source

QILT, Graduate Outcomes Survey.

Methodology

Annual results are benchmarked against previous results as a quality assurance measure and to identify trends.

Target

Australia’s share of the world’s top 10% most highly cited research publications remains above the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) average.

Result

ACHIEVED

Australia’s share of the world’s top 10% most highly cited research publications sits at 5.6%, which remains above the 3.1% average for OECD countries.

Analysis

Australia is above the average share and ranks fifth among OECD countries, behind the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany and Italy.

Source

SciVal / Scopus abstract and citation database.

Methodology

Review of all publications (including journal articles, books etc.) against the OECD average. Data extracted at same reference point each year.

Methodology can be validated by Excellence in Research for Australia results (triennially).

Target

Indigenous higher degree by research (HDR) completions, as a proportion of all domestic HDR completions, increases from the previous year.

Result

NOT ACHIEVED

Indigenous HDR completions, as a proportion of all domestic HDR completions, is 0.9%.

Analysis

The proportion of 0.9% is consistent with the previous year.

At a lower level of data, there is a minor decrease in Indigenous completions from 60 in 2017 to 55 in 2018.

Overall, the trajectory of growth is improving since 2014, where the proportion was 0.55%.

Source

Department of Education, Higher Education Statistics Collection.

Methodology

Proportion of Indigenous HDR completions is compared to the previous year to see if it has increased.

Target

At least 85% of research conducted by Australian universities and related to priority investment areas is rated as world standard or above.

Result

ACHIEVED

86% of research conducted by Australian universities and related to priority investment areas is rated as world standard or above.

Analysis

This demonstrates that through prioritised National Collaborative Research Infrastructure Strategy (NCRIS) investments, the majority of NCRIS-enabled publications are considered world-standard or above, because a large majority of those publications are within the top quartile of most

cited journals.

Source

Department of Education, National Research Infrastructure Census.

Methodology

The department compiled publications data from NCRIS projects during the 2015–16 and 2016–17 National Research Infrastructure Census. This data was analysed using SciVal, which is a publication metrics tool. The tool was able to identify the proportion of NCRIS-enabled publications that are in the top 25 percentile of most cited journals.

Target

At least 90% of researchers report access to NCRIS facilities and projects improved research quality and outputs.

Result

ACHIEVED

92% of researchers report access to NCRIS facilities and projects improved research quality and outputs.

Analysis

Research block grant funding has enabled higher education providers to provide training to over 40,000 domestic and international students undertaking research doctorate and research masters courses in 2018.

Analysis of universities’ 2017 financial statements shows that universities are expending their allocated research block grant funding on systemic costs of research and supporting research postgraduates’ tuition fees and living costs.

Source

Department of Education, NCRIS user survey.

Methodology

The department conducted an NCRIS user satisfaction survey between February and March 2019. A total of 1,342 NCRIS users responded.

Target

At least 85% of international students are satisfied or very satisfied with studying and living in Australia.

Result

ACHIEVED

89% of international students are satisfied or very satisfied with studying and living in Australia (see Figure 2.6).

Analysis

International students surveyed reported that they chose to study in Australia due to the reputation of Australian teaching and qualifications, as well as feeling confidence in personal safety while in Australia.

Source

Department of Education, International Student Survey.

Methodology

Scores from several questions on student experience are aggregated to give an overall measure of satisfaction.

Target

At least 60% of international students employed or enrolled in further study after graduation.

Result

ACHIEVED

83% (were employed).

Analysis

The survey captured responses from graduates onshore and offshore who were former international students in Australia and had graduated in the previous decade. The very positive result reflects the quality and reputation of Australian higher education qualifications.

Source

Department of Education, graduate outcomes survey of international students.

Methodology

The survey establishes the proportion of respondents in work or further study.

Target

Average annual growth rate of 3% to 5% in international education export earnings.

Result

ACHIEVED

16% growth (from 2017 to 2018).

Analysis

International education export earnings rose by 16% to $35.2 billion in 2018 in accordance with an 11% growth in international student numbers (see Figure 2.7). The export income generated is the sum of tuition fees and student spending on costs of living in Australia.

International students have indicated in national surveys that they choose to study in Australia because of our reputation for education quality.

Source

ABS, International Trade: Supplementary Information, Calendar Year, 2018, cat. no 5368.0.55.004.

Methodology

Education export earnings are a component of ABS national accounting of all Australia’s service exports.

Target

Maintain positive growth in the number of students enrolled in offshore and transnational education and training delivered by Australian providers.

Result

ACHIEVED

6% growth (from 2016 to 2017).

Analysis

Offshore enrolments in Australian higher education comprise a mix of courses delivered by distance education; from branch campuses established offshore by Australian higher education providers; and through partnerships with foreign providers. Most of the volume

and growth in offshore enrolments was in the category of partnerships with foreign providers.

Source

Department of Education, Higher Education Statistics Collection.

Methodology

The numbers of students with a term residence overseas are compared year by year.

Target

At least 53% of employers report use of the vocational education and training (VET) system.

Result

ACHIEVED

54.4% of employers reported use of the VET system (see Figure 2.8).

Analysis

Result exceeds target. Since only 37.2% of employers reported that they needed to use VET (i.e. had jobs requiring vocational qualifications), 54.4% usage shows that VET is a training system of choice for many employers.

Employers using the VET system were highly satisfied—82.2% of employers were satisfied with nationally recognised training and 77.5% of employers with apprentices and trainees were satisfied with them.

Overall, the survey results demonstrate that employers continue to find VET a quality option.

Source

National Centre for Vocational Education Research (NCVER), Survey of Employer Use and Views of the VET System.

Methodology

Data is sourced directly from NCVER (2017), ‘Employers’ use and views of the VET system’.

Target

At least 85% of graduates are satisfied with the overall quality of the training.

Result

ACHIEVED

86.8% of graduates are satisfied with the overall quality of the training.

Analysis

Result exceeds target overall and for graduates of both TAFE (87.5%) and private registered training organisations (86.3%).

Source

NCVER, National Student Outcomes Survey.

Methodology

Data is sourced directly from NCVER (2018), ‘VET student outcomes’.

Target

At least 80% of VET graduates are employed or enrolled in further study after training.

Result

ACHIEVED

85.4% of VET graduates are employed or enrolled in further study after training (see Figure 2.9).

Analysis

The result exceeds the target but is 0.7% lower than the 2017 survey result (of 2016 graduates). The proportion of graduates already employed before training was two percentage points higher in the 2017 survey (69.7%, compared to 67.7% in the 2018 survey).

Source

NCVER, National Student Outcomes Survey.

Methodology

Data is sourced directly from NCVER (2018), ‘VET student outcomes’.

Target

Positive growth in the apprenticeship completion rate from the previous year.

Result

NOT ACHIEVED

Individual completion rate for apprentices and trainees who commenced in 2014 was 56.7%, a decrease from 59.9% for the 2013 commencing cohort.

Analysis

The Fair Work Commission published a report in 2017 which states, ‘While strong economic and labour conditions may encourage people to commence apprenticeships, some research suggests that it has the opposite effect on the retention of apprentices’, as apprentices take advantage of other opportunities. (Research Report 3/2017: Factors affecting apprenticeships and traineeships, pp. 28–9.)

Source

NCVER (2019), ‘Completion and attrition rates for apprentices and trainees 2018’.

Methodology

Data is sourced directly from NCVER statistics.

Limitations

Analysis is generally limited to commentary on whether target has been met.

Target

At least 80% of participants in targeted programs increase one or more levels on the Australian Core Skills Framework.

Result

ACHIEVED

96% of participants increased one or more levels.

Analysis

Of the 78,767 participants in the Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) and the Skills for Education and Employment (SEE) program, 96% of those who undertook a progressive assessment showed an increase of one or more levels against the Australian Core Skills Framework of learning, reading, writing, oral communication or numeracy.

Source

Department of Education, SEE program and AMEP administrative data.

Methodology

The percentage is based on the number of clients who demonstrated progression over the number of clients who completed a progress assessment for 2018–19 for the SEE program and the AMEP. A weighted average was used to reflect the different numbers of clients in each program.

SEE program—98% of clients for whom a progress assessment was undertaken had achieved an improvement in one or more Australian Core Skills Framework levels in the reporting period. Data is extracted from the SEE online database for clients who received training in 2018–19.

AMEP—96% of clients for whom a progress assessment was undertaken had achieved an improvement in one or more Australian Core Skills Framework levels in the reporting period. Data is extracted from the AMEP reporting facility for assessments conducted in 2018–19.