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Information statement4th MCEETYA meetingAdelaide, 8 December 1995
Related filesState, Territory, Commonwealth and New Zealand Ministers with responsibility for Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs, met in Adelaide on 8 December 1995 for the 4th meeting of the Ministerial Council on Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs. The meeting was chaired by the Hon David Hamill, MLA, Minister for Education, Queensland. The meeting was jointly hosted by the Hon Rob Lucas MLC, Minister for Education and Children's Services, South Australia, and the Hon Bob Such MP, Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education and Youth Affairs, South Australia. The main outcomes of the meeting are summarised below. Young People at RiskMinisters requested the MCEETYA advisory body on youth affairs, the Youth Taskforce, in conjunction with other Ministerial taskforces as identified, to monitor responses to the Commonwealth House of Representatives Standing Committee Report on Aspects of Youth Homelessness (the Morris report) which relate to its terms of reference. The Youth Taskforce will investigate and report on ways to enhance Commonwealth/State cooperation to improve services to homeless young people, and will focus on the issue of 'early intervention', 'prevention' and other relevant issues such as the impact of unemployment, training options awareness and family conflict and provide advice to Ministers on 'best practice' in strategic early intervention and possible supplementation of programs and policy to reduce the numbers of youth at risk.Ministers also directed the Youth Taskforce to monitor and report on strategies, including an analysis of regional factors, to assist marginalised young people to complete two years of postcompulsory education and training or its equivalent. Gender EquityMinisters noted that both a national framework to support gender equity in schooling and a national strategy for women in vocational education and training were currently being developed, with a view to final endorsement and implementation in the coming year.Adult English Language, Literacy and NumeracyMinisters noted that the National Reporting Strategy (NRS), a consistent means of reporting outcomes of English language, literacy and numeracy competence with the Special Intervention Program and the Adult Migrant English Program, will be phased in during 1996, and also agreed on monitoring implementation through Council.Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander EducationFollowing reaffirmation of their commitment to the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Education Policy (NATSIEP) and to increasing financial effort to improve indigenous education, Ministers acknowledged that the Commonwealth has secured additional funds of $143 million to provide additional supplementary assistance and strategic support funds from 1996 to 1999 and agreed that States and Territories will set literacy, numeracy and employment targets in their 1997 - 99 Indigenous Education Agreements for Aboriginal Education Strategic Initiatives Program (AESIP) funding.Ministers also gave support to the general direction of the Final Report of the MCEETYA Taskforce which identifies priority areas for action, and agreed that education and training for Aboriginal People and Torres Strait Islanders be made a national priority to focus the efforts of all to ensure significant continuous improvements to make outcomes for indigenous Australians similar to those for non-indigenous Australians. Australian Tertiary Admissions SystemFollowing agreement to the implementation of the Australian Tertiary Admissions System, Ministers noted progress with work on the benefits of and options for further integration of the admission practices of the vocational education sector and endorsed the use of the Common University Entrance (CUE) Index by tertiary admissions centres for determining interstate equivalences for university entry selection, with monitoring of methodologies to be undertaken by the Ministerial taskforce.Education Network Australia (EdNA)Ministers endorsed the expansion of the charter of the Open Learning Technology Corporation (OLTC) and the restructure of the Board to enable the OLTC to become the governing body for EdNA, gave in principle approval to the proposed cash flow required for establishment costs of EdNA in its first three years of operation and noted development of a network business requirement and of specifications for a combined tender for purchase of reception infrastructure.Australian Vocational Training System (AVTS)Ministers noted the report from the ANTA Ministerial Council on progress with the National Transition Plan (NTP) for the AVTS, with indicative State/Territory contributions being sufficient to meet the total estimated cost of the NTP of $75 million, the Commonwealth having agreed to release funding of $23.8m for the 1996 transitional program. The report proposes a review of the range of levels within the AVTS, and a reporting framework to enable monitoring of takeup of the AVTS, with particular reference to equity target groups and taking into account the outcomes of a consultative forum to be held in February 1996.Council also agreed to a set of twelve recommendations proposed by an advisory group representative of each schools sector jurisdiction and ANTA, which detail needs and requirements for timely and comprehensive implementation of the AVTS at senior secondary level, including AVTS programs for approximately 30 000 students across Australia in 1996. Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act - standards in educationCouncil agreed to the establishment of a MCEETYA Taskforce, including representation from all sectors and key interest groups and with access to specialist legal advice, on development of Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) standards in education. The Taskforce will develop an issues paper as a basis for consultation with interested parties and present the findings to MCEETYA at the end of 1996, with a view to submission of draft DDA standards to Council at its first meeting in 1997.
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