2004-2005-2006-2007

THE PARLIAMENT OF THE COMMONWEALTH OF AUSTRALIA

HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

INDIGENOUS EDUCATION (TARGETED ASSISTANCE) AMENDMENT (2007 BUDGET MEASURES) BILL 2007

EXPLANATORY MEMORANDUM

(Circulated by authority of the Minister for Education, Science and Training the Hon Julie Bishop MP)

INDIGENOUS EDUCATION (TARGETED ASSISTANCE) AMENDMENT (2007 BUDGET MEASURES) BILL 2007

OUTLINE

The purpose of the Bill is to amend the Indigenous Education (Targeted Assistance) Act 2000 to appropriate additional funding to facilitate the provision of improving opportunities for Indigenous students through the expansion of the Indigenous Youth Mobility Programme, the expansion of the Indigenous Youth Leadership Programme, the provision of infrastructure funding for boarding school facilities and where government and non-government providers agree, the conversion of Community Development Employment Projects (CDEP) programme places into ongoing jobs in the education sector.

FINANCIAL IMPACT

The Bill will increase the appropriation under section 14A of the Indigenous Education (Targeted Assistance) Act 2000 by a net $26.1 million over the 2007 and 2008 calendar years (in initial 2005 prices).  This results in:

ª	an increase of $2.6 million for the expansion of the Indigenous Youth Mobility Programme;
ª	an increase of $4.0 million for the expansion of the Indigenous Youth Leadership Programme;
ª	$14.1 million being used for the provision of infrastructure funding to enable boarding schools catering for significant cohorts of Indigenous students to repair and replace aged and deteriorating facilities;  and
ª	$5.3 million being used to convert Community Development Employment Projects programme places into ongoing jobs in the education sector.

These amounts are subject to supplementation as prescribed in the Act.

INDIGENOUS EDUCATION (TARGETED ASSISTANCE) AMENDMENT (2007 BUDGET MEASURES) BILL 2007

NOTES ON CLAUSES

Clause 1 - Short title

Provides for the Act to be cited as the Indigenous Education (Targeted Assistance) Amendment (2007 Budget Measures) Act 2007.

Clause 2 - Commencement

Provides for the Act to commence on the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.

Clause 3 - Schedule(s)

Provides that each Act that is specified in a Schedule is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule and that any other item in a Schedule has effect according to its terms.

Schedule 1 – Amendments

Indigenous Education (Targeted Assistance) Act 2000

Items 1 and 2  Subsection 14A(1) (table items 3 and 4)

Item 1 and 2 amend the table in subsection 14A(1) of the Indigenous Education (Targeted Assistance) Act 2000 (which sets out appropriations for non-ABSTUDY payments for the 2005-2008 quadrennium) to provide funding for the 2007-08 Budget measures described in the Outline to this memorandum.

Item 1 provides that the appropriation set out in table item 3 (which provides appropriations for the period 1 January 2007 to 30 June 2008) is increased from “$246,226,000” to “$259,188,000”.

Item 2 provides that the appropriation set out in table item 4 (which provides appropriations for the period 1 January 2008 to 30 June 2009) is increased from “$246,643,000” to “$259,736,000”.