(1)   What projects are currently receiving federal funding for learning disability.

(2)   What initiatives have been taken by the Government since 1996 to assist children with learning disabilities in schools.

(3)   Does the Government consider that the needs of an estimated 2 in 10 children with an identified learning disability or problem are currently being met.

(4)   Why did the former Minister, Dr Nelson, indicate to ACLB Ltd (Australian Children’s Literary Board), the not for profit organisation that runs educational and artistic programs for children with learning disabilities, that he supported its work but that the Government educational policy does not allow for it to be federally-funded.

(1)   The Australian Government makes a significant contribution of an estimated $2 billion over the 2005-08 quadrennium through the Literacy, Numeracy and Special Learning Needs (LNSLN) Programme to support the most educationally disadvantaged students in schools, including students with disabilities and learning difficulties. The Programme includes three elements: •       Schools Grants - $1.8 billion over 2005-08; •       Non-government Centres Support - $144 million over 2005-08, and •       National Projects - and estimated $32 million over 2005-07. State and Territory government and non-government authorities are responsible for the administration and distribution of the largest element, the Schools Grants element - $429 million in 2006, within their sector. They are in the best position to identify which schools and students have the greatest need and to allocate funds accordingly, while ensuring principles of equity, effectiveness and efficiency. Under the Non-Government Centres Support element the Australian Government provides funding to the States and Territories to improve the educational opportunities and learning outcomes of children with disabilities who receive services provided by non-government centres - $33.5 million in 2006. State and Territory government are also responsible for the administration and distribution of this element. Projects under the National Projects element of the Literacy, Numeracy and Special Learning Needs (LNSLN) Programme that focus on children with a learning disability include: Strand A - National Projects: •       Investigate Effective ‘Third Wave’ Intervention Strategies for Students with Learning Difficulties who are in Mainstream Schools in Years 4, 5 and 6. •       Inclusive Classroom Practices to improve the learning outcomes for students with disabilities who are in mainstream classes in the early, middle and post-compulsory years of schooling. Strand B - State and Territory Projects: A project titled Effective Teaching and Learning Practices for students with learning difficulties has been conducted in each State and Territory. Each project was conducted by and with the involvement of the Department of Education, the Independent School sector and the Catholic Education system in each State or Territory. The Best Buddies Project - The project aims to promote the learning outcomes of students with disabilities through their active participation in society. The project will implement friendship programmes in several schools in New South Wales between students with an intellectual disability and students who do not have an intellectual disability. The Disabilities Definition Project - the Performance Management and Reporting Taskforce (PMRT) of the Ministerial Council of Education, Employment, Training and Youth Affairs has considered the feasibility of two possible approaches that may provide a suitable basis to define students with disabilities for national comparable reporting of their educational outcomes. The project is currently being finalised.

(2)   The Strategic Assistance for Improving Student Outcomes (SAISO) Programme was introduced for the 2001-04 quadrennium which was a combination of three former programmes. The introduction of SAISO continued the process of broad banding which began in the 1997-2000 quadrennium and increased flexibility to allocate funds. The purpose of SAISO was to improve the learning outcomes of educationally disadvantaged students, particularly in literacy and numeracy, and the educational participation and outcomes of students with disabilities. The targeted Literacy and Numeracy National Strategies and Projects Programme was operated between 1997 and 2004 to support strategic national research projects. For the 2005-08 quadrennium a new overarching targeted programme, the Literacy, Numeracy and Special Learning Needs (LNSLN) Programme was introduced. This programme combines the former SAISO, Literacy, Numeracy National Strategies and Projects as well as the Special Education-Non government Centres Support Programmes. The LNSLN Programme aims to improve the literacy, numeracy and other learning areas for the educationally disadvantaged students including students with disabilities. The Schools Grants element of the LNSLN Programme provides for students with disabilities in a similar method to the former SAISO Programme. The Australian Government makes a significant contribution of an estimated $2 billion over the 2005-08 quadrennium through the LNSLN Programme to support the most educationally disadvantaged students in schools, including students with disabilities and learning difficulties. The Programme includes three elements: •       Schools Grants element; •       Non-government Centres Support element; and •       National Projects element. Schools Grants is the largest element. State and Territory government and non-government authorities are responsible for the administration and distribution within their sector using the principles of equity, effectiveness and efficiency. Non-Government Centres Support assists children with disabilities who receive services provided by non-government centres - administration and distribution is the responsibility of State and Territory governments. The National Projects element is administered by the Australian Government. It supports strategic national research projects. Projects during this period that specifically assisted children with learning disabilities in schools are listed below. •       Identification of Successful Strategies and Mapping of Programmes to Address the Literacy and Numeracy Needs of Students with Learning Disabilities. Edith Cowan Uni. 1998-2002 •       Literacy, Numeracy and Students with Disabilities. University of Qld. 1998-1999. •       Assessment and Reporting of Students Achievement for Students with Specific Educational Needs against Literacy and Numeracy Benchmarks. ACER 1999. Disability Definition Project The Performance Management and Reporting Taskforce (PMRT) of the Ministerial Council of Education, Employment, training and Youth Affairs is considering the feasibility of two possible approaches that may provide a suitable basis to define students with disabilities for national comparable reporting of their educational outcomes. Also, see answer under Question One.

(3)   The Australian Government provides significant levels of funding to education authorities for students with disabilities. This funding complements funding provided by the States and Territories. The responsibility for the delivery of school education rests with State and Territory governments and non-government authorities, as does the responsibility for the administration and distribution of most funding provided by the Australian Government. The Australian Government is keen to support students with disabilities, their families and schools, with an improved funding system. To achieve this objective the Government has announced a $5.8 million initiative to investigate new flexible funding arrangements for students with disabilities. The first stage will commence in the near future. This will include scoping the current environment in Australia and assessment of international models, including consultations with stakeholders across education sectors, collection and analysis of data and development and costing of viable models. A further stage, which is dependent on the result of the first stage, would include the development of a national model - including analysis of implementation issues, possible testing and stakeholder views.

(4)   The Australian Children’s Literacy Board (ACLB) has requested funding from the Australian Government on several occasions in recent years to meet their ongoing operational costs. On each occasion they were advised that their request could not be approved as programme guidelines do not allow for operational costs or recurrent funding. In several responses to their requests, the ACLB were encouraged to consider applying for project funding under the Literacy and Numeracy Innovative Projects Initiative. The Innovative Project Initiative is a highly competitive process and funding applications are evaluated against strict criteria. The ACLB submitted a proposal under the first funding round for the Literacy and Numeracy Innovative Projects Initiative in 2000 but was not successful in gaining funding. The ALCB were encouraged to submit a project proposal under the second funding round in 2002, but did not do so. They were also sent a letter by the Department in January 2006 advising them of the release of the Request for Expression of Interest for funding proposals under the third round of the Literacy and Numeracy Innovative Projects Funding Initiative. The ACLB did not submit a proposal under this round.