Senate

Explanatory Memorandum

(Circulated by authority of the Minister for Education, Training and Youth Affairs, the Honourable Dr David Kemp MP)

Outline

The Australian Research Council (Consequential and Transitional Provisions) Bill 2000 will implement a number of initiatives announced in the Governments 1999 policy statement Knowledge and Innovation: A policy statement on research and research training .

The amendments to the Higher Education Funding Act 1988 (HEFA) deal with the introduction of the two performance-based block funding schemes outlined in Knowledge and Innovation , as well as the introduction of a quality assurance framework for higher education research. These schemes, the Institutional Grants Scheme and the Research Training Scheme have been formed from the consolidation of assistance previously made available through grants for expenditure for operating purposes (allocated under section 15 of HEFA) and special research assistance (section 23 of HEFA).

As outlined in Knowledge and Innovation , access to the block funded schemes will be limited to those institutions that are listed on the Australian Qualifications Framework and that submit an acceptable research and research training management plan. This Bill incorporates these requirements into the conditions of funding for special research assistance (section 23).

The Bill also repeals the Employment, Education and Training Act 1988, as well as outlines the transitional arrangements arising from the repeal of that Act and the commencement of the Australian Research Council Act 2000 .