Mr AH KIT - 1999-11-23
On radio last week he stated: ‘At the moment in indigenous education, the Northern Territory puts in about $130m a year’. The Collins report on page 53 says the Northern Territory figure is $109m. Chief Minister, who is right - you or Bob Collins? Please outline how you got to your figure of $130m.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, of course I’m right. I will refer the detailed answer to the Minister for School Education if he cares to comment, but I can say that I understand that the $130m I quoted is correct. Of all students in the Northern Territory, 38% are indigenous. Out of a total budget of $330m, the Northern Territory government commits from its own budget and from Commonwealth grants $137m per year, which equals 41.5% of the total Northern Territory expenditure on education. That’s quoted, in fact, in the Learning Lessons report of Bob Collins.
The radio interview the member is referring to was given while I was in Melbourne. It followed a telephone call from me to an officer in the Education Department. The figures that I received from the department at that time where the ones that I quoted. They were essentially that $130m is spent from NT government resources, there’s $10m from the Feds through the IESEP program and another $6m from the Feds through other direct-funded programs. I understand that the $130m is correct when one adds on some of the issues that the Minister for School Education talked about in terms of capital infrastructure that isn’t detailed in some of the figures in that report.
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, of course I’m right. I will refer the detailed answer to the Minister for School Education if he cares to comment, but I can say that I understand that the $130m I quoted is correct. Of all students in the Northern Territory, 38% are indigenous. Out of a total budget of $330m, the Northern Territory government commits from its own budget and from Commonwealth grants $137m per year, which equals 41.5% of the total Northern Territory expenditure on education. That’s quoted, in fact, in the Learning Lessons report of Bob Collins.
The radio interview the member is referring to was given while I was in Melbourne. It followed a telephone call from me to an officer in the Education Department. The figures that I received from the department at that time where the ones that I quoted. They were essentially that $130m is spent from NT government resources, there’s $10m from the Feds through the IESEP program and another $6m from the Feds through other direct-funded programs. I understand that the $130m is correct when one adds on some of the issues that the Minister for School Education talked about in terms of capital infrastructure that isn’t detailed in some of the figures in that report.
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016