Annotates 26 publications from the Australian Government Publishing Service. Major subject areas include legislation, government operations, and international affairs. Discussion includes the three main political events of the year and three resulting reports. (KRN)

Examines research issues in adult, community, and further education: the role of government in the research agenda; the questions of what is researched, which truths, and whose knowledge; ethics and values; the politics of research and research management; and research methods. Evaluates the state of Victoria's research strategy in terms of these…

The research reported in this paper considers the current telecommunications network for the three education systems of state, independent and catholic schools in Western Australia as well as drawing on the personal experiences of teachers in these systems as the government attempts to close the digital divide with its Networking the Nation…

This article critically examines two sets of ideas that have influenced educational reform in the recent past: managerialism and market approaches. It is argued that while each can be demonstrated to have led to useful change, neither provides a basis for future improvement in education. A recent example of change within the State School sector of…

The ideologies underpinning public/private partnerships (PPPs) have been much contested in theory, but what does promulgating a social partnership mean in practice? This qualitative research study has been "critiquing" a construct of "ecologies of learning" or "capacities of capital" for social partnerships between…

Australia's Lady Gowrie Child Centres, established in 1940 in state capitals, represent a continuing commitment to early childhood education by the Australian federal government. The six centers were built with an emphasis on outdoor space in inner-city, high-density, industrial, and slum areas where overcrowding and poor living conditions…

Describes the nature of priorities for funding preschool programs in Australia. (SB)

Two kinds of academic freedom--personal academic freedom and institutional academic freedom--are discussed. It is argued that, in Australia, institutional academic freedom is the more important notion for universities and that current structural and governmental constraints threaten it seriously. (CJB)

The background of the Australian Academic Salaries Tribunal is traced, emphasizing the role of precedent and the positions of the major participants in its inquiries. Its performance is evaluated in light of changing market conditions and the current commonwealth government policy of attempting to restrict wage and salary increases. (MLW)

Features of the Australian educational system are examined: the evolution of postcompulsory education, continuing education and training within employment from 1950-80, issues and options faced in the mid-1980s, and decisive changes in the structure of higher education at the end of the 1980s. (SK)

This critique of the "West Review" (Review of Higher Education Financing and Policy, 1998) raises objections to the Review's recommendation that Australia's higher education program offerings should be decentralized and funded based on student preferences, as well as to the recommendation that research activities be centrally…

Explores reasons for the mismatch between Australian government policy and funding for vocational education and training and occupations not in industries defended by national standards, which receive no funding. Suggests the need for redefinition of terms and training pathways as well as recognition of prior learning. (SK)

Examines Australian government policies involved in the development and implementation of the Colombo Plan, a program that sponsored the education of Asian and Pacific students in Australia. Concludes that the Colombo Plan's original emphasis on aid has had long term effects on the marketing of Australian education to Asian foreign students. (DB)

Australia and New Zealand stand out as something of an anomaly in the international trend toward developing common standards for evaluation. The national professional association that covers evaluation in both countries, the Australasian Evaluation Society (AES), was one of the earliest and most proactive in developing a comprehensive code of…

This report focuses on published research about performance pay for teachers in Australian schools. This report falls into three main sections. The first provides an overview of current pay arrangements and collective enterprise bargaining agreements for Australian teachers. Within these arrangements, the report gives particular attention to…