Items medium note

On 12 December 1972 an interim committee for the Australian Schools Commission was appointed by the Prime Minister to examine the position of government and non-government primary and secondary schools throughout Australia and to make recommendations on immediate financial needs of those schools and priorities and measures to assist in meeting those needs. The Committee chaired by Professor Peter Karmel, completed its report, Schools in Australia, in May 1973.

The report identified three broad areas of deficiency in Australian Schools:

• a lack of resources to provide educational experiences appropriate to the young in modern Australian society;
• inequalities between schools both in the provision of resources and the opportunities they offered to students; and
• deficiencies in the quality of education.

The committee recommended seven main programs of financial assistance to rectify these deficiencies:

• general recurrent resources;
• general buildings;
• primary and secondary libraries;
• disadvantaged schools;
• special education;
• teacher development and innovation programs.

The Committee also outlined the functions, structure, staffing and role of the proposed schools commission. The report was accepted by the Government and the Schools Commission was established in 1973 as a statutory body by the Schools Commission Act 1973, the short title of which was later amended to the Commonwealth Schools Commission Act 1973.

The Schools Commission began operations in 1974 within the portfolio of the Minister for Education and comprised a chairman three full-time Commissioners and eight part-time Commissioners. Commissioners are the holders of statutory office and are appointed by the Governor-General. The Chairman is the principal officer of the Commission and has certain administrative powers equivalent to those of a permanent head of a department.
All other Commission staff are appointed under the Public Service Act.

Broadly, the functions of the Commission as laid down in the Act were twofold:

• to recommend to the Minister for Education, after consulting with interested parties, what Government funds should be made available to schools and school systems throughout the country in order to ensure acceptable standards; and
• to inquire into and report on any aspect of primary and secondary schooling.

The programs recommended in the Karmel Report were implemented by legislation administered through the Commission and from 1974 to the present, the Commission has monitored the progress of these programs. The original programs have been expanded to include new elements such as the schools exchange and travel scheme [1976], short term emergency assistance [1977], children in residential schools program [1981] and the English as a second language program [1983]. Two new programs, the Participation and Equity Program and the Computer Education Program, commenced in 1984. The new Basic Learning in Primary Schools Program was instituted in 1985. In 1982 the Commission's title was changed to the Commonwealth Schools Commission.

The Minister announced new consultative structures in October 1987 and the program and administrative responsibilities of the Committee were transferred to the Department of Employment, Education and Training (Schools and Curriculum Division) on 30 November 1987.

The Commonwealth Schools Commission was formally abolished by the Employment, Education and Training Act 1988, sections 65 and 68. This legislation established the National Board of Employment, Education and Training (CA 7697).

Historical agency address

Cosmopolitan Centre, Woden ACT

Legislation administered

Commonwealth of Australia, Act No. 213 of 1973, Schools Commission Act, 1973. Commonwealth of Australia, Act No. 214 of 1973, States Grants (Schools) Act, 1973.