Productivity Commission Releases Report on Government Services

Media Release, Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision, 29 January 2010; The Age, 3 February 2010

The Productivity Commission’s annual Report on Government Services (ROGS) 2010 has indicated that the Victorian Government continues to spend less per student on education than other states and territories.

ROGS outlines the performance of all levels of Australian Government in the provision of services during the 2007-08 financial year, with Part B focusing on government funding for early childhood and children’s services (Chapter 3), school education (chapter 4) and vocational education and training (Chapter 5).

ROGS demonstrated that, in 2007-08, 33.8 per cent of Australian full-time equivalent students attended non-government schools and received 21.0 per cent of total government expenditure (including user cost of capital). In Victoria, 35.9 per cent of students attended non-government schools and received 23.0 per cent of total government expenditure.

In Victoria:

• Australian Government funding accounted for 78.2 per cent of non-government schools’ government funding, compared to an average of 72.1 per cent across Australia.
• Real Victorian Government expenditure on government school students rose in 2007-08 dollars from $10,158 in 2006-07 to $10,395 in 2007-08. This compares to the next lowest funded state, New South Wales, which allocated $11,227 per government school student in 2007-08.
• Following the introduction of the new recurrent funding model for non-government schools, real Victorian Government expenditure on non-government schools increased from $1282 per student to $1329 per student.
• Victorian Government funding per student for non-government schools remained lower than all other states and territories, $511.53 below the Australian average.
• Australian Government funding for Victorian non-government schools decreased in real terms from $4789 in 2006-07 to $4761 in 2007-08.
• Victorian non-government school funding from the Victorian and Australian Governments increased in real terms from $6071 in 2006-07 to $6090 in 2007-08.

To access a copy of the report, visit the Australian Government Productivity Commission website.

 

 

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