House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability
Inquiry into the Thriving Kids initiative
QUESTION ON NOTICE
Date of hearing: 10 October 2025
Outcome: Improving Student Outcomes
Department of Education Question No. IQ25-000026
Dr Mike Freelander MP on 10 October 2025, Proof Hansard page 55
Question
In terms of Commonwealth funding, resources and programs that are aimed at supporting students with developmental delay, autism et cetera, in the early childhood space they include childcare funding, the Inclusion Support Program and the Inclusive Capability Project. In the schools space, we have the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement and the student with disability loading under the Commonwealth’s recurrent funding. In 2025, that’s estimated to be $4.3 billion out of the $31.1 billion of total recurrent schools funding. I’d note that that covers all children in schools, not just the cohort being looked at for the zero to eight.
CHAIR: How much was the disability loading?
Dr Rocha: The disability loading is estimated in 2025 to be $4.3 billion. We also have a Helping Children with Autism measure, which is about $30 million over the estimates, and we have several initiatives to support the knowledge and skills of Australia’s teacher workforce, including an autism microcredential and positive partnerships. I’m happy to elaborate on them later.
CHAIR: Would you be able to send the details to the committee? That would be good.
Dr Rocha: Absolutely…
Answer
Students with Disability funding
In 2025, the Australian Government will provide an estimated $31.1 billion in recurrent school funding. To support students with disability to access and participate in education on the same basis as other students, the Australian Government provides an additional student with disability loading as part of the schooling resource standard (SRS) recurrent funding arrangements. In 2025, the student with disability loading will be an estimated $4.3 billion for 791,673 full-time equivalent students (part of $31.1 billion in total funding).
SRS funding is provided as a lump sum to approved system authorities (including state and territory governments, catholic systems, and independent systems) for the purposes of providing school education. Schools and school systems use their total recurrent funding to meet the needs of all students, including students with disability, and have the flexibility to allocate funding in respect of individual students or for specific purposes or programs.
The SRS student with disability loading is calculated using the Nationally Consistent Collection of Data for Students with Disability (NCCD) which records information on the level of adjustment students with disability are receiving to access and participate in education on the same basis as other students. There are 4 levels of adjustment - quality differentiated teaching practice, supplementary, substantial, and extensive. Students who receive the top 3 levels of adjustment attract the student with disability loading. Approved authorities receive this funding and have the flexibility in determining how it is used to best meet the needs of their students.
Students do not require a diagnosis to receive an adjustment or attract Commonwealth funding. As soon as a teacher or school leader identify that a student requires an adjustment they should receive it. If the adjustment is required due to disability, either diagnoses or imputed, the adjustment can be included in the NCCD process.
See Table 1 for the amounts per adjustment calculated into the total Student with Disability loading for 2025.
Table 1: 2025 SWD loading amounts by each level of NCCD adjustment
| SRS base funding amount | Supplementary | Substantial | Extensive | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Primary student | $13,991 | 42% ($5,876) | 146% ($20,427) | 312% ($43,652) |
| Secondary student | $17,582 | 33% ($5,802) | 116% ($20,395) | 248% ($43,603) |
Note: The figures in the table show the full loading amounts included to calculate a school’s SRS. In 2025, the Commonwealth will pay at least 20% of each government school’s SRS and at least 80% of each non-government school’s SRS.
Source: Department of Education’s school funding models. Figures as at August 2025.
Helping Children with Autism (HCWA) Budget line
The Helping Children with Autism (HCWA) Budget line was introduced in 2008. HCWA includes funding for the Positive Partnerships program and other projects to improve educational outcomes for school-aged Autistic students. Further details regarding the priorities funded from the HCWA Budget line are provided below. See Table 2 for the HCWA Budget over the forward estimates.
Positive Partnerships is a national program that helps parents, caregivers and educators to partner in support of Autistic school-aged students by providing free workshops, professional learning and other resources to build their skills and knowledge about autism. The program commenced in 2008 and is currently in Phase 4 which is being implemented by Autism Spectrum Australia (ASPECT). The total value of the Phase 4 contract with ASPECT is $30.35 million (GST excl.) for the period 21 December 2020 to 31 October 2026. Since Phase 4 commenced in April 2021, over 80,000 parents/carers and school staff have participated in the Program. The Government is planning for Phase 5, which is anticipated to commence from 1 July 2026.
The Government is investing in a new autism microcredential to equip teachers and school leaders with the knowledge and skills to better support Autistic students in the classroom. Core competencies for educators who enrol will include:
- improved knowledge of autism
- identify and implement evidence-informed strategies and adjustments
- understanding the characteristics of autism-friendly classrooms and schools, and how to embed these; and
- working effectively with other key professionals (paraprofessionals, allied health, inclusion coordinators etc).
An open tender process is currently underway to source a provider to deliver this microcredential.
Table 2: HCWA Budget line
**Helping Children with Autism funding line allocation to 2028-29 (as at Budget 2025-26)
| Year | 2024-25 | 2025-26 | 2026-27 | 2027-28 | 2028-29 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total allocation HCWA ($m) | 6,974 | 6,829 | 6,980 | 7,119 | 7,283 | 35.185 |
*Phasing updated in Portfolio Budget Statements 2025-26
Initial Teacher Education
In 2022, Education Ministers endorsed the National Teacher Workforce Action Plan to address teacher shortages by strengthening initial teacher education (ITE) and improving teacher retention. As part of this effort, the Australian Government convened the Teacher Education Expert Panel, chaired by Professor Mark Scott AO, to identify ways to better prepare new teachers.
The Panel recommended mandating four core content areas in ITE programs, which must be embedded by higher education providers by December 2025. These areas are: The Brain and Learning, which explains the science behind effective instructional practices; Effective Pedagogical Practice, including modelling, scaffolding, formative assessment, and literacy and numeracy strategies; Classroom Management, focused on routines, engagement, and safe learning environments; and Responsive Teaching, which supports inclusive education through First Nations perspectives, cultural diversity, family engagement, and evidence-based approaches for students with specific needs.
To support implementation, the Australian Government provided $4.275 million in Strong Beginnings (Transition) funding in 2024 to assist 46 eligible ITE providers with the cost of embedding the newly mandated core content.
Microcredentials for Classroom Confidence
The Government is investing over $4 million in the development and delivery of 3 free microcredentials, now available to teachers via the University of Adelaide website. These microcredentials are designed to support educators with practical, evidence-based strategies aligned to the Australian Professional Standards for Teachers.
The Classroom Management microcredential provides tools for creating safe, orderly, and engaging learning environments through routines, trust-building, and community development. Explicit Teaching focuses on lesson and unit planning, feedback strategies, and techniques for delivering clear instruction in diverse classrooms. Teaching Phonics offers evidence-based approaches to systematic phonics instruction, enhancing broader literacy skills such as writing, spelling, vocabulary, and grammar - particularly benefiting students at risk of reading difficulties. All 3 microcredentials are currently available at no cost to Australian educators.
House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability
Inquiry into the Thriving Kids initiative
QUESTION ON NOTICE
Date of hearing: 10 October 2025
Outcome: Early Learning Programs and Youth
Department of Education Question No. IQ25-000027
Ms Anne Stanley MP on 10 October 2025, Proof Hansard page 57
Question
Ms Winslow: In the 2024 results we saw a decline in the number of children on track against all five of those domains I mentioned. We have seen a decline in that data, which is of concern not just to the Commonwealth but to state and territory governments and the sector more broadly. We are collectively working to unpack what those results may be pointing to and indicating. Of relevance to this inquiry, there was an increased number of children requiring further assessment from the perspective of the educators that were supporting the collection; that potentially goes to children that may have a broad range of developmental issues. There have been some results that are of concern and there has been research commissioned to dive deeply into what is the driver behind not just the national results but particular cohorts. I’m happy to provide the detail of what that research is looking at and when it will be expected to be finalised.
Ms STANLEY: That’d be great. Do those results flow into NAPLAN or any other thing? How long has the data been collected?
Ms Winslow: Since 2009.
Ms STANLEY: Not that long.
Ms Winslow: We try to draw what we can from the different collections but probably not from a data integration perspective.
Ms STANLEY: No, because it’d be -
CHAIR: Since the NDIS?
Ms Winslow: I’d have to take that on notice around what correlation or work we’ve done to look at the data coming out of the scheme and the development census.
Answer
The department has commissioned a research project which will be led by the Centre for Community Child Health (CCCH). The project will seek to identify factors influencing children’s development in Australia, utilising linked data from the AEDC and several government programs, including the NDIS.
This research will be conducted as a part of the department’s contract with a consortium of suppliers including CCCH (Contract Notice ID CN3998245-A2, The Social Research Centre).
To date, the Department of Education has not undertaken or completed any research projects utilising linked data from the Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) and the National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS).
House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability
Inquiry into the Thriving Kids initiative
QUESTION ON NOTICE
Date of hearing: 10 October 2025
Outcome: Improving Student Outcomes
Department of Education Question No. IQ25-000028
Ms Anne Stanley MP on 10 October 2025, Proof Hansard page 57
Granularity of AEDC data
Question
Dr Rocha: Just on the AEDC and NAPLAN: the Commonwealth doesn’t receive individualised NAPLAN data, so we don’t have the capacity to do data linkage across the AEDC and that plan. But I know that some states and territories have done that; I think South Australia have done that for their jurisdiction.
Ms STANLEY: Is this data geographically available or is it de-identified so that you wouldn’t be able to see whether south-west Sydney was different to -
Ms Winslow: There is quite granular information. I’d have to take on notice the extent to which we can dive. We can look at the local government area; I’d have to confirm that. We have the national data and the state and territory data, and I am aware that there is that data at the LGA level; I can confirm that for you. That is all publicly available on the AEDC website as well.
Answer
Australian Early Development Census (AEDC) data is publicly available on the www.aedc.gov.au website at the following levels of geographical disaggregation:
- State/Territory
- Region
- Suburb
- AEDC Community (bespoke geography)
- AEDC Local Community (bespoke geography)
- Local Government Areas (LGA)
- Statistical Area 2 (SA2)
- Statistical Area 3 (SA3)
- Statistical Area 4 (SA4)
- Greater Capital City Statistical Areas (GCCSA)
- Remoteness Area
- Indigenous Location (ILOC).
Data disaggregated at the following geographical levels may be accessed by request via www.aedc.gov.au/data-hub/data-applications/data-application-process-and-forms:
- State/Territory Electoral Division (lower house)
- Primary Health Network
- Regional Development Australia (RDA) region
- Indigenous Area (IARE)
- Indigenous Region (IREG).
House of Representatives Standing Committee on Health, Aged Care and Disability
Inquiry into the Thriving Kids initiative
QUESTION ON NOTICE
Date of hearing: 10 October 2025
Outcome: Early Learning Programs and Youth
Department of Education Question No. IQ25-000029
Dr Mike Freelander MP on 10 October 2025, Proof Hansard page 57-58
Percentage of children attending early childhood education (zero to five years)
Question
Ms Winslow: Nationally, I think it’s sitting between 50 and 60 per cent of zero- to five-year-olds. It is much higher in the year before full-time schooling - 90 per cent of children.
CHAIR: In the year before school -
Ms Winslow: It’s quite high, which is more formal preschool or preschool delivered through centre based day care. When you look at the zero to five cohort, I think it’s between 50 and 60 per cent; I’d have to confirm that.
Answer
Table 1 presents the proportion of the population aged between 0 and 5 attending approved child care in the June quarter 2025.
Table 1: Proportion of children in Australia attending approved child care by age, June quarter 2025
| Age | Proportion of population |
|---|---|
| <1 | 9.4% |
| 1 | 47.0% |
| 2 | 58.5% |
| 3 | 70.7% |
| 4 | 67.0% |
| 5 | 41.8% |
| 0-5 | 49.5% |
Source: Department of Education administrative data
Additionally, in 2024 86.9% of 4 year olds and 21.2% of 5 year olds attended preschool (in either a stand alone preschool or centre based day care service). Source: ABS Preschool Education 2024 (https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/education/preschool-education/2024).