Australian gun laws

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

The recent mass shooting in Connecticut in the United States has led to commentators to again consider Australia’s approach to firearms controls following, in particular, the 1996 Port Arthur Massacre which involved the use of several assault rifles, and also the 2002 Monash shootings perpetrated with a semi-automatic pistol.

National agreements by Australian governments after each incident formed the basis of current regulatory controls.

Buyer beware? An update on the rules that relate to the use of gift cards and what methods consumers can take to protect themselves this Christmas

Image source: Treasury

In December 2011, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer released the Commonwealth Consumer Affairs Advisory Council (CCAAC) issues paper on Gift cards in the Australian market. The paper looks at the laws that currently apply to the gift card industry and whether these laws sufficiently protect both gift card users and purchasers. This FlagPost will update a previous post that discussed some of the issues pertaining to the use of gift cards and will examine other problems consumers may face during the festive season.

Australia’s current debt position – update December 2012

In recent times a lot has been spoken about Australia’s debt level. It has been a major political issue since the lead up to the last federal election and at times has dominated the political arena. This article updates data published in earlier FlagPosts which reported on Australia’s current debt position at the time they were published. I therefore intend in this article to report the latest available data on Australia’s level of debt for both the public and private sectors in gross and net terms. For definitions of gross and net debt the reader is referred to the first FlagPost on Australia’s current debt position.

Australia’s performance in international student achievement tests – another perspective

Image source: Boston College

There has been considerable public discussion about Australia’s relatively poor performance in recently released international student achievement tests, with one newspaper describing the results as ‘Australia’s disaster in education’. These results have also called into question the Government’s aim to be in the top five countries on reading, mathematics and science by 2025. But just how bad are these results?

Introducing the Doha Climate Gateway

Image source: COP18 website

On 8 December 2012—a day later than scheduled—the 18th Conference of the Parties (COP18) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) concluded. With it, ended the Bali Roadmap (see previous FlagPost) and began the new era of climate change negotiations: that of the grandly-named Doha Climate Gateway. This FlagPost describes what the Gateway opens onto, and outlines some other items that were discussed (although possibly not resolved) at Doha.

What happened to Kyoto at Doha

Image source: COP18 website

The latest international climate change negotiations that took place over the last fortnight in Doha, Qatar, marked the end of the Bali Roadmap. This 18th Conference of the Parties (COP18) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change finally signed off on the climate change action plan that had been in place since negotiations in 2007. Coming into Doha there were two main negotiating streams: one that discussed the Kyoto Protocol and how to extend it beyond its expiry on 31 December 2012, and another that looked beyond the Kyoto Protocol to a broader, more inclusive agreement. This FlagPost will outline developments on the first stream. A second FlagPost addresses the other stream.

New rules for media-related activity in Parliament House and its precincts

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

On 28 November 2012 the Presiding Officers issued new rules for media-related activity in Parliament House and its precincts. The rules will come into effect with the commencement of the 2013 parliamentary sittings on 5 February 2013 replacing the previous rules and guidelines on filming and photography (issued December 2008). The rules will apply to all occupants of Parliament House and visitors to the building and its precincts.

Delisting the Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MeK)

Image source: US State Department

Two months ago, on 28 September 2012, the US Secretary of State formally removed the Iranian group, the Mujahideen-e-Khalq (MeK), from the US Government’s list of Foreign Terrorist Organizations (FTO) and delisted it as a Specially Designated Global Terrorist, in recognition of the group’s renunciation of violence. This is a significant milestone for the MeK which was first designated as an FTO by the US Government in 1997 and whose repeated attempts since then to be delisted have failed a number of times. The delisting follows similar rulings in the UK in 2008 and the EU in 2009. While Australia has never proscribed the MeK as a terrorist organisation, in December 2001 the Australian Government effectively froze the MeK’s assets and made it an offence to fund the group by adding the MeK to the Government’s ‘Consolidated List’—where it currently still remains.

Competitive constraints in private health insurance raised—but a broader debate needed

Image source: Victorian Health Department

Competition in the private health insurance market is the focus of a recent discussion paper released by the independent regulator, the Private Health Insurance Administrative Council (PHIAC). The paper is the first prepared by the new Premiums and Competition Unit (PACU) which was established in the last budget to help foster competition in the Australian private health insurance market. The paper aims to ‘promote discussion and stimulate comment on the nature of markets and competition’ in private health insurance, with a view to feedback informing a final report due for release in early 2013.

Pricing of cancer drugs in Australia - update on changes to the Senate Notice Paper

Image source: www.pbs.gov.au

The proposed (weighted average) price cut of 76.83% for docetaxel, a drug used in the treatment of cancer, has sparked controversy. There have been claims that cost to patients will increase by about $100 and that cancer services will close as a result of this reduction. On Monday 26 November, Senator Xenophon moved a motion to disallow this price reduction but this has been withdrawn. It was replaced with a cross-party motion (Senator Xenophon, the Coalition, Australian Greens and DLP Senator Madigan) to be moved on 29 November (the last sitting day of the Parliamentary year). The Greens are now no longer part of the motion and this is reflected on the Notice Paper for 29 November (*1080, p. 11).

Evidence linking sugary drinks to overweight and obesity grows

Source: NSW Department of Health

Evidence has been growing that the consumption of sugary drinks among children is contributing to our increasing rates of overweight and obesity. Sugary drinks include ones artificially sweetened with sugar, such as soft drinks and energy drinks, but also seemingly healthy drinks, such as fruit juice. Sugary drinks are sometimes described as offering ‘empty kilojoules’ because they provide plenty of calories but lack many essential nutrients. Two recent studies into the effect sugary drink consumption has on children's weight, add to a growing body of evidence linking them to weight gain. A recent issue of the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) reported on both studies.

Priests, Penitents, Confidentiality and Child Sexual Abuse

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

In the light of Prime Minister Gillard’s announcement of a Royal Commission into institutional responses to the sexual abuse of children there has been a particular focus on the role of the ‘confessional seal’. The Roman Catholic practice whereby communications made in the confessional are treated as absolutely confidential has been hotly debated, in particular whether this doctrine forms an inappropriate impediment to the appropriate investigation and treatment of cases of abuse.
The issue of evidence of child sexual abuse within the confessional seal arises in three different contexts: mandatory reporting of suspected child abuse, evidence to be given in legal proceedings, and evidence before a Royal Commission.

Economic growth and change in post GFC world: What’s hot and what’s cold in the Australian economy

Image source: www.sa.gov.au

Since the Global Financial Crisis (GFC) in 2008, the Australian economy has experienced a period of slower, more uncertain growth than it did in the years leading up to the crisis. During the four years leading up to the GFC, Australia’s economy grew between three and four per cent a year, in inflation adjusted terms, with an annual average growth rate of 3.4 per cent. Since then, growth has been as low as 1.6 per cent in 2007—08, and only topped three per cent in 2011—12. The annual average growth rate for this later period was 2.4 per cent; a full percentage point lower than the earlier period.

However, not all parts of the economy have performed equally over the last four years. Some industries have grown strongly, whilst others have contracted. This has brought about a certain degree of structural change within the economy in terms of the sorts of goods and services the country produces and types of workers it needs to produce them.

U.S. Presidential election results and the changing nature of political communication

Despite predictions of a down-to-the-wire election, the US presidential election on 6 November 2012 provided incumbent President Barack Obama (Dem) with a definitive win both in Electoral College votes and the National Popular Vote. When Associated Press called Florida, the last state to be finalised, for President Obama, it gave him the overwhelming lead of 332 Electoral College votes, well in advance of the 270 votes needed to win and of Governor Romney’s (Rep) 206 votes.

Mongolia at a crossroads: opportunities for enhanced engagement?

Image source: Smartraveller

This year marks the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Australia and Mongolia. On 13 November 2012, the Australian National University hosted (in collaboration with partner institutions) the inaugural Mongolia Update conference. It followed the official visit to Australia by Lieutenant General Tserendejidiin Byambajav, Chief of the General Staff of Mongolian Armed Forces on 8–10 November 2012 as part of the 15th Annual Chiefs of Defence Conference in Sydney.

International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (White Ribbon Day)—25 November 2012



Image source: http://www.un.org

In 1999, the United Nations (UN) General Assembly designated 25 November as the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women (also marked in Australia as White Ribbon Day). Each year since then the UN has encouraged governments around the world to raise public awareness on this issue.

A Royal Commission into institutional responses to child sexual assault

Image source: Forgotten Australians website

General awareness of the levels and different forms of child abuse and assault has heightened in recent years. In response to growing levels of concern, on 12 November 2012, the Prime Minister, Julia Gillard, announced the Government’s intention to establish a Royal Commission specifically examining ‘institutional responses to instances and allegations of child sexual abuse in Australia’. The terms of reference are yet to be determined, but the recently released consultation paper states that the Royal Commission will be asked to identify what can be done to prevent child abuse in the future, and where it does occur, that organisational responses are just and supportive of survivors. The paper also acknowledges that the inquiry will be complex and lengthy.

China’s new leadership—personalities, process, politics, priorities

Image source: Wikimedia commons

China’s eighteenth National Communist Party Congress has concluded with the unveiling of its new leadership team, the Politburo Standing Committee.  This is the fourth leadership transition since the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) came to power in 1949 and marks the shift to China’s ‘fifth generation’ of political leaders.  The transition takes place as China continues its ascendancy as a regional and global power and at the same time as the CCP is attempting to manage a range of social, economic, and political challenges.

What happens to the House and Senate if an election is called early in 2013?

Recently the possibility had been raised that an election may be called for only the House of Representatives in the early part of 2013. Usually, a half-Senate election would also be held. But according to the Australian elections timetable prepared by the Parliamentary Library, the earliest that a half-Senate election can feasibly occur is 3 August 2013.

Australia in the Asian Century: regional security and foreign policy dimensions



Image source: Australian Government
 

On 28 October, the Prime Minister released the Government’s ‘Australia in the Asian Century’ White Paper.  The Parliamentary Library has released several publications examining different aspects of the White Paper and the reactions to it: 

Australia in the Asian Century: aiming for the ‘top ten’

Australia in the Asian Century: improving university rankings

Australia in the Asian Century: Asian studies in schools

 

This piece discusses the regional security and foreign policy dimensions of the White Paper (chapters eight and nine).

Hunger strike on Nauru

Image source: DIAC newsroom

The hunger strike which commenced on Nauru on 1 November is continuing. Initial reports were that 170 people were participating although more recent estimates by the Refugee Action Coalition suggest around 300. Commencement of the hunger strike was in response to the attempted suicide on October 31 and in protest to the lack of certainty about when processing will begin. This follows previous reports of self harm on Nauru and suicide attempts (see reports from 11 October, confirmed by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) at Estimates on 15 October 2012 at p. 100 of Hansard, and 27 October).

Australia in the Asian Century: Asian studies in schools



Image source: Australian Government

The White Paper, Australia in the Asian Century, commits all governments to improving access to Asian studies in schools through the Australian Government’s National Plan for School Improvement. The Prime Minister has announced that Asian studies will be embedded across the Australian Curriculum, students will have access to at least one priority language (Mandarin, Hindi, Indonesian and Japanese), and all schools will ‘engage with’ at least one school in Asia to support teaching of a priority Asian language.

Australia’s efforts against foreign bribery – an update

Image source: Small Business NSW

The Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) released its latest assessment of Australia’s implementation of the OECD Convention on Combating Bribery of Foreign Public Officials in International Business Transactions (Anti-Bribery Convention) in October 2012. Outlined below is an overview of the positive and negative findings and their implications for the Australian Government.

Australians eat poorly, are overweight and unfit: but it’s not all bad news

Image: City of Tea Tree Gully

The Australian Health Survey, a regular survey of Australia's health, shows that most Australian adults have a poor diet, are either overweight or obese and don’t get enough exercise. These unhealthy habits put us at greater risk of a range of adverse health outcomes including the development of serious diseases such as diabetes and heart disease.

The first results, released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics on 29 October 2012, cover health status, health risk factors and long term health conditions. Results to be released later will cover health service use, more detailed information on dietary intake, physical activity and sedentary behaviour, biomedical health measures, and representative results for the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander population.

Australia in the Asian Century: Improving university rankings

Image: Macquarie University

The Asian Century White Paper sees higher education as a key sector in developing capabilities for economic success in what it calls ‘the Asian century’ and sets a national objective that ‘by 2025 10 of Australia’s universities will be in the world’s top 100’.
A number of questions arise from this objective, including the appropriateness of world rankings in setting and measuring goals; the degree of investment required to improve rankings and a decision on which ranking system to use.

World rankings have largely arisen in the last decade and there are now five major world university ranking systems. They have variations in methodologies but all stress research investment and performance over other measures such as teaching quality. As a recent Group of Eight analysis states: ‘As they are currently structured world university rankings do not relate well to the missions of universities whose principal mission is not research, or at least not internationally-referenced basic research’.

Australia in the Asian Century: Aiming for the 'Top Ten'

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

In the Australia in the Asian Century white paper the Government has set the goal of Australia becoming one of the top ten countries in the world in terms of GDP per capita by 2025. This post briefly considers how achievable the government’s objective is and how useful a focus on GDP per capita is.

U.S Presidential Election

By Malwack (Own work)
via Wikimedia Commons

The U.S. general election will be held on Tuesday 6 November 2012 where ballots will be held to not only elect the 435 Representatives and 100 Senators that will form the 113^th Congress but also to elect the 45^th President.

President Barack Obama (Dem) as incumbent President is seeking a second and final term running with incumbent Vice President Joe Biden. They will be challenged by Republican nominees Governor Mitt Romney and running mate Congressman Paul Ryan.

Not much to smile about: two new reports highlight dental inequities

Source: Australian Government

Two new dental reports provide a timely overview of the oral health of those with chronic illnesses compared to the broader population, and on the oral health of children and their families.

The Australian Institute of Health and Welfare (AIHW) publication Chronic conditions and oral health reveals disparities in oral health between people with a chronic condition and those without. The publication reports on a survey that measured five oral health impacts: toothache, discomfort with appearance of teeth or mouth, avoidance of some foods due to tooth problems, experience of broken or chipped teeth, and oral facial pain. Two measures of tooth loss were also reported: average number of missing teeth and inadequate dentition (fewer than 21 teeth).

The plasma myth: how parents of newborns spend their money

Image: Wikimedia Commons

The Australian Government has announced that it intends to reduce the amount of Baby Bonus payable in respect of second or subsequent children from 1 July 2013. This is expected to result in savings of around $170 million per year ($504.9 million over the forward estimates).

According to the Government, this change recognises that costs associated with second or subsequent newborns are not as great as those associated with the first.

This post takes a look at what is known about the impact of newborns on household budgets, focusing in particular on any significant changes in spending on second or subsequent children.

Notably, the available evidence suggests that there is no significant increase in expenditure on electronic goods by families with newborns. This challenges the widespread view that couples spend their Baby Bonus on adult-focused consumer goods such as plasma televisions.

Private health insurance rebate to deliver yet more savings for Government

Image: Department of Health and Ageing

The Mid Year Economic and Fiscal Outlook (MYEFO) included yet more changes to private health insurance rebate (PHIR) arrangements, on top of those recently implemented. These are expected to deliver savings of $1.09 billion over three years which will be used to offset the cost of the Dental Health Reform package announced in August this year.

Australia wins seat on United Nations Security Council: what next?

Image source: United Nations

In the early hours of this morning (local time), Australia received 140 votes from United Nations General Assembly members to secure a seat on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) for its 2013–14 term. The result has been welcomed by both the Government and the Opposition. Australia’s Foreign Minister, Senator Bob Carr, has described the win as a tribute to Australia’s global standing: ‘it’s the world saying, we see Australia as a good country, a fine global citizen’, he said, thanking Pacific, African and Caribbean nations in particular for their support.

Government’s approach to policy development criticised in formal review

On 11 October 2012, the Government released the Independent Review of the Australian Government’s Regulatory Impact Analysis Process and its preliminary response. The Review provides a broad overview of the Government’s current policy development processes.

The Review was conducted by Mr David Borthwick AO PSM and Mr Robert Milliner, and took aim at many facets of the Government’s policy development processes, including the public service, ministers, and adherence to Cabinet processes. It made 14 recommendations.

Speaker's resignation

Mr Slipper resigned mid-term as Speaker on 9 October 2012. A mid-term resignation by a Speaker is not unique, although in this instance the circumstances maybe seen as such. Mr Slipper resigned in the wake of a motion by the Leader of the Opposition to remove the Speaker under section 35 of the Constitution. The motion was narrowly defeated, 70 to 69, which meant the Speaker could continue in office. Mr Slipper had stood aside from his role as Speaker in the House on 8 May 2012 following allegations of sexual harassment and allegations of fraudulent abuse of Cabcharge vouchers.

The Administrative Review Council recommends legislative change to turn back the tide of section 39B actions.

The Administrative Review Council (the ARC) is established to ‘ensure that the administrative decision-making processes of the Commonwealth Government are correct according to law and accord with administrative law values, by working with all relevant interests — political, bureaucratic and community based’.

On 24 September 2012, the ARC launched its 50th report, Federal Judicial Review in Australia.

High Court holds security risk provision invalid

Image source: Wikipedia

There has been extensive reporting on the recent High Court decision concerning the impact of an adverse ASIO assessment on an asylum applicant.

In its decision of 5 October 2012 in the matter of Plaintiff M47-2012 v Director General of Security [2012] HCA 46, the High Court ruled public interest criterion 4002, contained in Schedule 4 to the Migration Regulations 1994, to be invalid. This criterion provided:

4002 The applicant is not assessed by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation to be directly or indirectly a risk to security, within the meaning of section 4 of the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation Act 1979.

Myanmar update



Image source: Wikimedia commons

Events in Myanmar continue to move fast. This brief update highlights some of the key developments over the last few months. It follows the recent visit to Australia by the Speaker of Myanmar’s lower house and the historic visits to the United States by President Thein Sein and Aung San Suu Kyi.

Do refugees really receive higher welfare benefits than pensioners?

Image source: Wikimedia Commons

The short answer is no.

A series of emails have circulated in recent years asserting that refugees settling in Australia are entitled to higher rates of social security payment than other Australian residents, including pensioners. The emails also often claim that refugees receive free 'gifts' in the form of household items and even houses.

However, as is explained in this updated Parliamentary Library Background Note, such claims are completely wrong. What's more, the original emails on which many of the Australian emails are based refer (again, falsely) to arrangements in Canada and have nothing to do with Australia.

The South China Sea disputes: some practical thinking from Australia

 


Image source: US Energy Information Administration

 Growing hostility between China and the Philippines, the failure of ASEAN Foreign Ministers to agree on a joint statement at their July meeting in Phnom Penh, and anti-China protests on the streets of Hanoi have re-focused international attention on long-standing maritime and territorial disputes in the South China Sea over the last several months. While issues like North Korea’s nuclear program and the China–Taiwan dispute have tended to dominate discussions of regional security over the last decade, one prominent Australian foreign policy analyst has argued recently that ‘it is in the South China Sea that the components of Asia’s changing power dynamics are most concentrated and on display’.

Small business - 2011 profile

Image source: business.gov.au

Small business accounts for the majority of businesses in Australia. In terms of economic output and employment, it also makes a significant contribution.

Justice beyond law: clemency and the Royal Prerogative of Mercy

The campaign to secure posthumous pardons for Harry Harbord Morant, Peter Handcock and George Witton has been the subject of debate in the media, and also in the Australian Parliament, over recent years. In May, the Commonwealth Attorney-General, Nicola Roxon, stated that the Australian Government would take no further action on the petition to pardon the three.  Their chief advocate, James Unkles, has indicated his intention to pursue the matter in the UK Courts with the assistance of Dan Mori.  However, irrespective of its outcome, the Morant matter has highlighted the enduring role of the Royal Prerogative of Mercy in Australia's justice system. 

2012 APEC meeting in Russia: a success for Australia

Image source: Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

The 2012 Asia Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) leaders’ summit was held on 8–9 September in Vladivostok, the Russian Far East. Russia hosted 21 member countries at the summit and in various side events throughout 2012, which attracted over 10 000 visitors in total. The preparation costs for 2012 APEC were estimated to be A$21 billion. By comparison, the Australian Government spent just over $300 million hosting the 2007 APEC summit in Sydney, of which over $170 million was invested in enhanced security.

A code of conduct for members of the House of Representatives?

The House of Representatives is currently debating a motion, moved by Independent MP Rob Oakeshott, to introduce a code of conduct covering members of the House of Representatives. The motion is based on the recommendations in the report by the House of Representatives Standing Committee of Privileges and Members’ Interests on a draft code of conduct for members of parliament.

The motion is supported by the Government but the Manager of Opposition Business, Christopher Pyne, has confirmed that the Coalition will not support the motion if the relevant Senate committee has not reported on a code for the upper house.  He said that the Coalition had adopted this approach because ‘it would be peculiar if the House of Representatives had a code of conduct and the Senate didn’t'.

The Senate Standing Committee on Senators’ Interests is due to report on a code of conduct for senators on 27 November 2012. 

Homelessness in Australia - official ABS estimates

Image source: Australian Bureau of Statistics

The Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) has for the first time released official estimates of the prevalence of homelessness in Australia. The estimates, which are based on the ABS’s new definition of homelessness and methodology for estimating homelessness using census data, are provided for homelessness at the time of the 2001 and 2006 censuses. Estimates from the 2011 census are to be published on 12 November 2012.

 

The ABS found that, as at the 2006 census, 89 728 Australians were homeless. This represents 0.5 per cent of the Australian population at that time and a rate of 45 homeless people for every 10 000 persons. At the 2001 census, the ABS estimates that 95 314 people were homeless. As such, according to the ABS, between 2001 and 2006 there was a 6 per cent decrease in the number of homeless Australians, and the rate of homelessness fell from 51 homeless people per 10 000 to 45. The main factor contributing to this decline was a fall in the boarding house population.

 

The ABS’s estimates differ substantially from what were previously assumed to be the most accurate and reliable data on homelessness in Australia—those estimates produced by Chamberlain and McKenzie, and published in Counting the Homeless reports. According to Counting the Homeless data, in 2001 there were 99 000 homeless people whilst in 2006 there were 104 676 homeless. Hence, not only are the ABS homelessness estimates lower than those furnished by the Counting the Homeless figures, but they also contradict the finding that there was an increase in homelessness between 2001 and 2006 of 4.8 per cent. So, the question is, what are the changes that led to this result?

Commonwealth legislating to ban large trawler

Image source: AFMA

The Minister for Sustainability, Environment, Water, Population and Communities, Tony Burke, has moved amendments to the Environment Protection and Biodiversity Conservation Act 1999 (EPBC) Act. This will give the Government the powers to prevent the trawler, Abel Tasman, from fishing in Australian waters for up to two years while a scientific study on its impacts is carried out. The major issues with the vessel are its large size and fishing capability, which far exceeds any other fishing vessel in Australian waters, and possible impacts on protected species.

43rd Pacific Islands Forum in Cook Islands: Australian contributions welcomed

Image source: Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat

The annual 43rd Pacific Islands Forum took place in Cook Islands from 27 to 31 August 2012, bringing together 16 Heads of Government, including Australia, and observing international institutions. This was also the first regional leaders’ meeting discussing implications for the Pacific Island states of the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development.

Unhealthy habits on the rise

Image source: WA Department of Health 

Some of the key risk factors for a number of life threatening diseases have increased in prevalence in Australia over the last decade according to a recent report from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare. The report, Risk factor trends: age patterns in key health risk factors over time, found that over the period, the proportion of people diagnosed with life threatening conditions including diabetes and chronic kidney disease had increased.

PISA – more than just league tables?

Image source: Victorian Department of Education and Early Childhood Development 

In announcing the Government’s response to the Gonski Review, Prime Minister Gillard stated that the aim of the new National Plan for School Improvement ‘is to ensure that by 2025 Australia is ranked as a top 5 country in the world for the performance of our students in Reading, Science, Mathematics’.

Much of the discussion about the Australian school system has focussed on the relative (and absolute) decline of Australia in the results from the triennial Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) over the period 2000 to 2009 despite an increase in real expenditure on school education of 44 per cent over the period. In considering how the school system can be improved, commentators have often looked to the current ‘top 5’ in the PISA rankings—Finland and the four East Asian jurisdictions included in the 2009 survey (Hong Kong, Shanghai, Korea and Singapore).

However, closer analysis of the PISA data suggests that using the PISA assessment league tables may not be the best measure of the quality of school systems.

Public sector staffing reductions in the states and territories

Since 2011 the state and territory governments have introduced public sector staffing reductions as savings measures (some jurisdictions also had reduction programs in place prior to 2011). A summary of the reductions is provided below; ‘FTE’ is not a headcount but refers to full-time equivalent staffing levels.

For the Commonwealth Government, the 2012–13 Budget estimates a staffing reduction in the Australian Public Service of 3 074 FTE for 2012–13 to be achieved in the main by a combination of natural attrition and voluntary redundancies. In November 2011 the Government also increased its efficiency dividend rate to 4.0 per cent for 2012–13 (up from a rate of 1.5 per cent per annum).

In 2011 and 2012 the Queensland, Victorian, New South Wales and Northern Territory Governments commissioned independent reviews of public sector finances, expenditure and management. The federal Leader of the Opposition has stated that a Coalition government will establish a commission of audit to review Commonwealth Government operations.

Closure of controversial dental scheme a step closer—but dentists remain in the dark

Image source: Department of Defence

Following the announcement of a $4 billion dental package directed at children and those on low incomes, the Government has moved to close down the controversial Chronic Disease Dental Scheme (CDDS). The Health Insurance (Dental Services) Amendment Determination 2012 (No. 1), registered on 6 September 2012, amends the Health Insurance (Dental Services) Determination 2007 to bring about a staged cessation of the CDDS by 30 November 2012. The Determination is a disallowable legislative instrument which must be tabled in Parliament within six sitting days of registration. Either chamber can vote to disallow it within 15 sitting days, as this Senate brief explains.

‘Better schools’ – the Government responds to Gonski

Image source: Australian Government

The Australian Government through its National Plan for School Improvement, under the banner of Better Schools, has accepted the core recurrent funding recommendations of the Review of Funding for Schooling (the Gonski Review).

The National Plan outlines a new funding model that will have a Schooling Resource Standard (SRS) for all school students supported by various loadings for disadvantage. This funding model will take place alongside an improvement framework for schools and teaching, with an overarching goal of ensuring that by 2025 Australia is ranked amongst the top five countries in the world for student performance in reading, science and mathematics. In total, the Government expects the National Plan when fully implemented (by 2020) will see an additional $6.5 billion spent on schools each year, in line with the estimates ($5 billion in 2009 prices) in the Gonski Report.

Indigenous Expenditure Report 2012

Image source:2012 Indigenous Expenditure Report

The just released 2012 Indigenous Expenditure Report estimates expenditure by all levels of Government on services to Indigenous Australians. It is the second in a series (the first being released in 2010) which examines inputs into Indigenous service delivery and which is intended to complement the longer running Overcoming Indigenous Disadvantage reports which examine outcomes in this same area. Both reports are currently produced by the Steering Committee for the Review of Government Service Provision.

Mifepristone (RU 486) registered for use in Australia

The Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA), the regulator of medicines and therapeutic devices in Australia, has announced that from 29 August 2012 the abortifacient mifepristone (RU 486) will be listed on the Australian Register of Therapeutic Goods (ARTG). Misoprostol, a drug that can be used in conjunction with mifepristone but already available in Australia, has also been approved for use in medical abortion. Medical abortion is a method of pregnancy termination that involves the administration of a drug or drugs to induce an abortion, and is distinct from surgical abortion.

UK People Trafficking Assessment Published

The UK Human Trafficking Centre (UKHTC) has published its first public intelligence assessment of people trafficking in the UK, A Baseline Assessment on the Nature and Scale of Human Trafficking in 2011. This is the first time that government authorities have attempted to describe the nature and scale of people trafficking in the UK. 

New dental package announced—but it’s not Denticare

Image source: NT Health

Today the Health Minister, Tanya Plibersek, announced a new dental package worth $4 billion over six years. The government will provide Medicare funded dental services to children and an expanded public dental service for low income adults and those in rural and regional areas, as well as an additional investment in dental infrastructure and workforce.

From January 2014, children aged 2 to 17 will be entitled to up to $1000 for ‘basic’ dental work over a 2 year period from a dentist of their choice on presentation of their Medicare card. Services funded will reportedly include a dental check-up, scale and clean, fissure sealants, and basic restorative work including fillings, but not more complex work such as orthodontics or crowns. The government estimates some 3.4 million children will be eligible.