GOVERNMENT EXPENDITURE ON EDUCATION IN AUSTRALIA
This release contains statistics on expenditure on education by the general government sector for the period 2004–05 to 2013–14. These data are presented on an accrual accounting basis and are taken from the system of Government Finance Statistics (GFS).
Government expenditure on education refers to expenditure on all levels of education, such as pre-school, primary, secondary, university, and technical and further education (TAFE), by the general government sector. It excludes expenditure on courses provided by non-educational institutions, such as the vocational training programs of private businesses.
The summary tables below present government operating expenses on education by level of government, by purpose (i.e. by type of education), and by economic transaction (i.e. by type of expenditure) for the period 2008–09 to 2013–14.
Operating expenditure on education by all levels of general government increased by $1,891m (2%), from $79,484m in 2012–13 to $81,375m in 2013–14. Total expenditure on education by the Commonwealth Government was $30,049m, with expenditure by the state and local governments totalling $54,481m. Intra-sector transfers were $26,618m.
Of the total operating expenditure on education in 2013–14, $41,763m (51%) was spent on primary and secondary education and $29,185m (36%) on tertiary education (universities and TAFEs). Employee expenses of $41,731m accounted for 51% of total educational expenses with the remaining 49% being on non-employee expenses ($18,637m), depreciation ($3,661m), and transfer expenses ($17,346m).
GOVERNMENT OPERATING EXPENSES ON EDUCATION, By Level of Government |
|
| 2008–09 | 2009–10 | 2010–11 | 2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 |
| $m | $m | $m | $m | $m | $m |
|
Commonwealth Government | 21 905 | 35 709 | 33 794 | 28 728 | 29 334 | 30 049 |
State and local governments | 43 322 | 49 117 | 49 958 | 51 017 | 52 673 | 54 481 |
Multi-jurisdictional (a) | 17 748 | 18 515 | 19 976 | 21 302 | 22 941 | 23 462 |
Less: Intra-sector transfers | 20 590 | 31 854 | 28 052 | 25 187 | 25 464 | 26 618 |
All levels of government | 62 385 | 71 486 | 75 677 | 75 859 | 79 484 | 81 375 |
|
(a) The multi-jurisdictional sector contains units where jurisdiction is shared between two or more governments, or the classification of a unit to a jurisdiction is otherwise unclear. For education the only type of units falling into this category are public universities. |
GOVERNMENT OPERATING EXPENSES ON EDUCATION, By Purpose, All Levels of Government |
|
| 2008–09 | 2009–10 | 2010–11 | 2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 |
| $m | $m | $m | $m | $m | $m |
|
Primary and secondary education | 33 105 | 39 101 | 40 166 | 38 736 | 40 625 | 41 763 |
Tertiary education | 23 042 | 24 215 | 26 195 | 27 447 | 29 016 | 29 185 |
Pre-school & education not definable by level | 2 983 | 3 089 | 3 325 | 4 216 | 4 452 | 4 784 |
Transportation of students | 1 326 | 1 352 | 1 381 | 1 401 | 1 354 | 1 547 |
Education n.e.c. | 1 930 | 3 729 | 4 610 | 4 060 | 4 036 | 4 097 |
Total by purpose | 62 385 | 71 486 | 75 677 | 75 859 | 79 484 | 81 375 |
|
GOVERNMENT OPERATING EXPENSES ON EDUCATION, By Economic Transaction, All Levels of Government |
|
| 2008–09 | 2009–10 | 2010–11 | 2011–12 | 2012–13 | 2013–14 |
| $m | $m | $m | $m | $m | $m |
|
Employee expenses | 32 934 | 35 050 | 37 233 | 39 131 | 40 987 | 41 731 |
Non-employee expenses | 14 810 | 15 710 | 16 199 | 17 442 | 18 131 | 18 637 |
Depreciation of fixed assets | 2 442 | 2 657 | 2 892 | 3 233 | 3 523 | 3 661 |
Current transfer expenses | 11 682 | 15 673 | 17 098 | 15 695 | 16 396 | 16 868 |
Capital transfer expenses | 518 | 2 396 | 2 255 | 359 | 447 | 478 |
Total by economic transactions | 62 385 | 71 486 | 75 677 | 75 859 | 79 484 | 81 375 |
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CHANGES TO DATA CUBE FORMAT
Some minor table formatting changes to the data cube have been introduced with the release of this publication as indicated in the December Quarter 2014 release of Government Finance Statistics 5519.0.55.001. The changes include the insertion of blank lines, formatting emphasis changes and clearer 'total' and 'sub-total' item descriptions to improve readability. Users who extract data from the data cube tables using Excel formulas or by other computerised means should review and adjust their processes as necessary. Some row numbers have changed.
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