Chapter 1Overview

1.1On 14 May 2024, the Senate referred the following documents to the Education and Employment Legislation Committee (committee) for examination and report:

Particulars of proposed expenditure in respect of the year ending on 30 June 2025;

Particulars of certain proposed expenditure in respect of the year ending on 30 June 2025; and

Particulars of proposed expenditure in relation to the parliamentary departments in respect of the year ending on 30 June 2025.[1]

Portfolio coverage

1.2In accordance with resolutions of the Senate of 27 July 2022, the committee is responsible for the examination of the expenditure and outcomes of the following portfolios:

Education; and

Employment and Workplace Relations.[2]

1.3A full list of agencies is available at Appendix 1.

Portfolio Budget Statements 2024–25

1.4The Portfolio Budget Statements for the Education portfolio and Employment and Workplace Relations portfolio were tabled in the Senate on 14 May 2024.[3]

Hearings

1.5On 19 October 2023, the Minister for Finance, Senator the Hon Katy Gallagher, moved that Budget Estimates hearings for the committee would occur from Monday 3 June 2024 to Thursday 6 June 2024.[4]

1.6Accordingly, the committee agreed to consider particulars of proposed expenditure as follows:

Employment and Workplace Relations matters – 3 June 2024 to 4 June 2024; and

Education matters – 5 June 2024 to 6 June 2024.

1.7The first two days of hearings focussed on the Employment and Workplace Relations portfolio, under the responsibility of the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations. The final two days of hearings examined the Education portfolio, under the responsibility of the Department of Education.

1.8The committee heard evidence from the following Ministers:

Senator the Hon Murray Watt, the Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry and the Minister for Emergency Management, representing the Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations; and

Senator the Hon Anthony Chisholm, Assistant Minister for Education and Assistant Minister for Regional Development representing the Minster for Skills and Training and the Minister for Education.

1.9Evidence was also provided by the following departmental secretaries who were accompanied by officers of their portfolio departments and agencies:

Ms Natalie James, Secretary, Department of Employment and Workplace Relations; and

Mr Tony Cook PSM, Secretary, Department of Education.

1.10The following portfolio agencies from the Employment and Workplace Relations portfolio were not required to appear:

Coal Mining Industry (Long Service Leave Funding) Corporation; and

Seafarers Safety, Rehabilitation and Compensation Authority.

1.11Asbestos and Silica Safety and Eradication Agency were called to appear, however they were released without questions on 4 June 2024.

1.12All agencies from the Education portfolio were required to appear. While the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership Limited was called to appear, they were released without questions on 5 June 2024.

1.13The committee extends its appreciation to the Ministers and officers of the departments and agencies who assisted the committee in conducting its 2024–25 Budget Estimates hearings.

Questions on Notice

1.14In accordance with Standing Order 26(9)(a), the committee set 1 August 2024 as the date for return of answers to questions on notice arising from the 2024–25 Budget Estimates hearings.

1.15Answers to questions on notice are published to the committee's website.

Hansard transcripts

1.16Committee Hansard transcripts are accessible on the committee's website.

1.17In this report, references to the committee Hansard are to the proof transcripts. Page numbers may vary between the transcripts of the proof Hansard and the official Hansard.

Additional Estimates 2023–24: Timeliness of answers to questions on notice

1.18The committee's 2023–24 Additional Estimates hearings examined the Employment and Workplace Relations portfolio on 14 February 2024 and the Education portfolio on 15 February 2024.

1.19Answers to questions on notice were due by 5 April 2024.

1.20For the Employment and Workplace Relations portfolio, the committee received answers to 582 out of 763 questions on notice by the due date of 5 April 2024.[5] The remaining answers to questions on notice were received between 9 April 2024 and 17 May 2024.

1.21For the Education portfolio, the committee received answers to 9 out of 441 questions on notice by the due date of 5 April 2024.[6] All remaining answers were received on 24 May 2024.

1.22The committee encourages portfolio departments and agencies to supply their answers to questions on notice by the due date for future estimates hearings to ensure the committee has sufficient time to review the answers before the next estimates hearings.

Record of proceedings

1.23The report does not attempt to analyse the evidence presented during the hearings. However, it does provide a brief summary of some of the key issues that were examined by the committee for each portfolio.

Footnotes

[1]Journals of the Senate, No. 109, 14 May 2024, p. 3325.

[2]Journals of the Senate, No. 2, 27 July 2022, p. 73.

[3]Journals of the Senate, No. 109, 14 May 2024, p. 3326.

[4]Journals of the Senate, No. 76, 19 October 2023, p. 2170.

[5]Two of these answers were received from the National Centre for Vocational Education Research, who, whilst not Employment and Workplace Relations portfolio entities under the PGPA Act, appeared under the Employment and Workplace Relations portfolio at the committee's hearing and as such are included in this portfolio's questions statistics.

[6]The nine answers that were received by the due date of 5 April 2024 were from the Australian Education Research Organisation (AERO) and Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA). AERO and ACECQA are not Education portfolio entities under the PGPA Act, but they appeared under the Education portfolio at the committee's hearing and as such are included in this portfolio's questions statistics.