Commonwealth Numbered Acts Commonwealth Numbered ActsPreamble
The Parliament of Australia acknowledges the following matters.
All students in all schools are entitled to an excellent education, allowing each student to reach his or her full potential so that he or she can succeed, achieve his or her aspirations, and contribute fully to his or her community, now and in the future.
The quality of a student's education should not be limited by where the student lives, the income of his or her family, the school he or she attends, or his or her personal circumstances.
The quality of education should not be limited by a school's location, particularly those schools in regional Australia.
It is essential that the Australian schooling system be of a high quality and be highly equitable in order for young Australians to become successful learners, confident and creative individuals, and active and informed citizens. A high quality and highly equitable Australian schooling system will also create a highly skilled, successful and inclusive workforce, strengthen the economy, and increase productivity, leading to greater prosperity for all.
If Australia is to be a prosperous nation with a high standard of living in the 21st century, the performance of Australia's schools, and school students, must continuously improve, particularly as school performance in countries around the world and in Australia's region is also improving.
It is also essential that Australian schooling provide school students with opportunities to engage with Australia's region. Through this engagement, Australia can maximise economic, cultural and social opportunities during the Asian century.
To address these matters, future arrangements will be based on the needs of Australian schools and school students, and on evidence of how to provide an excellent education for school students. These arrangements will build on the Melbourne Declaration on Educational Goals for Young Australians (2008), which reaffirmed the importance of national collaboration and promoting high quality schooling for all Australian students, and successful reforms to date.
Schools will also need to adopt the opportunities offered by digital education and new evidence-based methods of teaching and learning.
Strong partnerships across the broader community are necessary to support all school students, including partnerships between teachers, parents, carers and families, not-for-profit and community organisations, and employers.
As Australia's schools are diverse, the Australian Government will recognise the role of the Governments of the States and Territories, non-government education authorities, parents, carers and families, not-for-profit and community organisations, other partners and schools in delivering school education, and work with them to support and lift the performance of schools and school students.
The Parliament of Australia enacts: