Education, Science and Training

Commercialisation Training Scheme — transfer of funds from Australian Research Council

Expense ($m)

	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08	2008-09
Department of Education, Science and Training	0.4	5.5	5.6	5.7
Australian Research Council	-0.4	-5.5	-5.6	-5.7
Total	-	-	-	-

The Government will transfer funding of $22.8 million over five years, including $5.8 million in 2009-10, from the Australian Research Council to the Department of Education, Science and Training (DEST). The funding will assist DEST to deliver the Commercialisation Training Scheme which will provide around 250 new post‑graduate research scholarships to develop skills in research commercialisation and intellectual property management.

Higher Education — extension of FEE-HELP and OS-HELP

Expense ($m)

	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08	2008-09
Department of Education, Science and Training	-	-	-	-
Related capital ($m)
Department of Education, Science and Training	-	-	-	-
Related revenue ($m)
Department of Education, Science and Training	-	..	..	..

The Government will provide $2.6 million in loans over four years from 2005-06 to enable full fee paying Australian students attending foreign-owned universities in Australia to access income-contingent loans available through FEE-HELP and OS-HELP. Students will be able to borrow up to $50,000 through FEE-HELP and up to $10,000 through OS-HELP.

Amounts loaned to students under the Higher Education Loans Programme (HELP) are treated as financial assets and a provision for doubtful debts has been included in the statement of other economic flows, therefore these elements do not impact on the fiscal balance. Payments by students of the indexation component of their HELP loan are treated as interest revenue and will impact on the fiscal balance from 2006‑07.

International education — Endeavour Malaysia Scholarships

Expense ($m)

	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08	2008-09
Department of Education, Science and Training	0.5	0.5	0.5	-

The Government will provide $1.4 million over three years from 2005-06 for six Endeavour Malaysia Awards and four Endeavour Malaysia Research Fellowships to be granted to Australian and Malaysian students.

Of the awards, three Malaysia Awards and two Research Fellowships will be made available to Malaysian students to study in Australia and the same number will also be available to Australian students to study in Malaysia.

Further information can be found in the press release of 8 July 2005 issued by the Minister for Education, Science and Training.

Migration Programme — additional assessing authority for the child care profession

Expense ($m)

	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08	2008-09
Department of Education, Science and Training	0.1	-	-	-

The Government will provide an additional $0.1 million in 2005-06 to the Department of Education, Science and Training for an additional assessing authority for the child care profession. Assessing authorities certify that the overseas qualifications of migrants seeking to work in their sector meet equivalent Australian standards.

Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement — training and skills development for industry workers

Expense ($m)

	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08	2008-09
Department of Education, Science and Training	1.0	1.0	1.0	1.0

The Government will provide $4.0 million over four years to enhance training and skills development opportunities for workers in the Tasmanian forest industries.

This measure was announced on 6 October 2004 as part of the Government’s election commitment A Sustainable Future for Tasmania and confirmed in the Tasmanian Community Forest Agreement.

Further information can be found in the press release of 13 May 2005 issued by the Prime Minister.

Tools for Your Trade — additional funding

Expense ($m)

	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08	2008-09
Department of Education, Science and Training	3.9	-	-	-

The Government will provide a further $3.9 million in 2005-06 to facilitate implementation of the Tools for Your Trade initiative. This additional funding is to provide for costs associated with the delivery of tool kits worth up to $800 to eligible New Apprentices in the first year of their New Apprenticeship.

Welfare to Work — extension to eligibility for Youth Disability Supplement

Expense ($m)

	2005-06	2006-07	2007-08	2008-09
Department of Education, Science and Training	-	0.3	1.3	2.2

The Government will extend eligibility for the Youth Disability Supplement to people under the age of 21 with a part-time work capacity who elect to study full-time and receive a student assistance payment. This measure will be implemented from 1 July 2006 at a cost of $3.8 million over three years and builds on the assistance provided to people with disabilities in the Welfare to Work package announced in the 2005‑06 Budget.

Further information can be found in the press release of 9 November 2005 issued by the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations.

---