Editors --- "Indigenous Education (Targeted Assistance) Amendment Act 2006 (Cth) - Digest" [2007] AUIndigLawRw 19; (2007) 11(1) Australian Indigenous Law Review 126

• Indigenous Education (Targeted Assistance) Amendment Act 2006 (Cth)

Indigenous Education (Targeted Assistance) Amendment Act 2006 (Cth)

Act No 142 of 2006

Assented to 6 December 2006

The purpose of the Indigenous Education (Targeted Assistance) Amendment Act 2006 (Cth) (‘the Act’) is to improve opportunities for Indigenous students in school and training sectors through additional tutorial assistance.

The primary purpose of the Act is to appropriate additional funding of $43.6 million over the 2006-2008 calendar years to improve opportunities for Indigenous students. The Government’s Tutorial Assistance Scheme will receive an extra $26 million over this period. $14.5 million will be directed at retaining Year 9 students until Year 12, aligning the amount of assistance with that currently provided for to students in Years 10, 11 and 12. $11.2 million will set aside for vocational and technical students attaining an Australian Quality Framework Certificate level III, or higher, and it is thought this will benefit approximately 5000 students.

The Act aims to increase support for community festivals for health promotion, activities addressing substance abuse by Indigenous youth in remote regions, and an additional $7.3 million in funding will be directed towards youth festivals promoting healthy lifestyles, improving participation in education, increasing vocational planning and to reduce crime and substance abuse. It is believed that the festivals will benefit approximately 16,000 students annually. The rationale for the increase in funding is that the educational outcomes for Indigenous students will be strengthened by incorporating these type of events into core curricula and practices of schools, particularly in remote areas.

Further, as part of a regional approach, $1.5 million will be used for diversionary and preventative education projects in remote areas addressing substance abuse. It is thought that these types of projects will engage approximately 1,000 young people over four years.

The Act also aims to set up school-based sporting academies and related activities for Indigenous students. An additional $9.1 million for 18 school-based sporting academies and related programs will be set up by the end of 2008, increasing opportunities to engage with education and sport. In 2007, approximately 1,000 students attended 12 school-based sport academies, but with the increase in funding it is envisioned that the number will increase to approximately 1,530 students from every state and territory. It is hoped that by engaging with Indigenous students through sport, the flow-on effect will be an increase in their academic interest.

This Act amends the Indigenous Education (Targeted Assistance) Act 2000 (Cth). The full text of both the original and Amending Act are available online at: <http://www.austlii.edu.au> .