Editing Education in Australia (section)

=== Government schools ===
{{See also|State school#Australia}}
[[File:Mac.Robertson Girls High School.jpg|thumb|The [[Mac.Robertson Girls' High School]], a government school in [[Melbourne City Centre|Melbourne CBD]], 2007]]
[[File:Warwick High School, 2017.jpg|thumb|Warwick High School, a government school in {{QLDcity|Warwick}}, [[Queensland]], 2007]]
[[File:Quairading District High School, 2018 (01).jpg|thumb|Quairading District High School, a government school in {{WAcity|Quairading}}, [[Western Australia]], 2018]]

Also called state schools or public schools, government schools educate approximately two-thirds of all school students in Australia.<ref name="DoE funding 2019"/> If a student elects to attend a government school, they are required to attend a school within their local [[school district]] unless the student has dispensation to attend another school, usually approved based on academic merit, specialisation, or other reasons, such as a student disability.

Government schools are run by the respective state government agency.<ref name=immedu /> They offer free education; however, many government schools ask parents to pay a contribution fee and a materials and services charge<ref name= aph /><ref>{{cite news|author=Ker, Peter|title=Voluntary school fees under the gun|url=https://www.theage.com.au/national/voluntary-school-fees-under-the-gun-20080103-ge6kh0.html|website=[[The Age]]|date=3 January 2008|access-date=6 April 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Singhal, Palavi|url=https://www.smh.com.au/education/public-schools-should-be-free-parent-outrage-at-invoices-for-voluntary-fees-20190218-p50yig.html|title='Public schools should be free': parent outrage at invoices for voluntary fees|website=[[The Sydney Morning Herald]]|date=18 February 2019|access-date=18 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|author=Robinson, Natasha|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-06-24/school-fees-at-australian-public-schools-concern-parents/11201804|title='Public schooling in Australia attracts $1 billion bill in fees for parents despite 'voluntary' status|website=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]]|location=Australia|date=24 June 2019|access-date=18 August 2019}}</ref> for stationery, textbooks, sports, uniforms, school camps and other schooling costs that are not covered under government funding. In 2010 the additional cost for schooling was estimated to be on average $316 per year per child.<ref>{{Cite news|last=Lam|first=Miawling|title=Public school costs soar to $90k|newspaper=The Sunday Telegraph|publisher=News Limited|date=17 January 2010|url=http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/public-school-costs-soar-to-90k/story-e6frewt0-1225820387407|access-date=9 July 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120922131557/http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/public-school-costs-soar-to-90k/story-e6frewt0-1225820387407|archive-date=22 September 2012}}
</ref><ref>{{Cite news|last=Ker|first=Peter|title=Voluntary school fees under the gun|newspaper=[[The Age]]|location=Victoria|publisher=Fairfax Media|date=3 January 2008|url=http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/voluntary-school-fees-under-the-gun/2008/01/02/1198949899860.html|access-date=9 July 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121105062900/http://www.theage.com.au/news/national/voluntary-school-fees-under-the-gun/2008/01/02/1198949899860.html|archive-date=5 November 2012}}</ref>

Government schools may be further categorised into [[comprehensive schools|open or comprehensive]] schools, [[selective school|selective]], [[special school|special]], and [[specialist school|specialist]] schools; all defined below. In 2009 the Western Australia government introduced [[Independent Public Schools]] to describe a government school that, while a part of the state education system, was granted a higher degree of decision-making authority than a regular government school.<ref>{{cite journal|last=Gobby|first=Brad|title=Enacting the Independent Public Schools program in Western Australia|journal=Issues in Educational Research|date=14 May 2013|volume=23|issue=1|pages=19–34|url=http://www.iier.org.au/iier23/gobby.html}}</ref> A similar reform was introduced in Queensland and, as of December 2018, 250 government schools commenced as independent public schools in Queensland.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://education.qld.gov.au/schools-educators/independent-public-schools|title=Independent public schools|work=[[Department of Education (Queensland)|QLD Department of Education]]|publisher=The State of Queensland|date=12 December 2018|access-date=18 August 2019}}</ref> In February 2014 the then [[Minister for Education and Training|Federal Education Minister]], [[Christopher Pyne]], announced a $70&nbsp;million Independent Public Schools Initiative to support 1,500 Australian government schools to become more [[autonomous]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Griffiths|first=Emma|title=Christopher Pyne announces $70 million fund to help public schools go it alone|url=http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-02-03/pyne-plan-for-independent-schools-under-fire/5234536|work=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]]|location=Australia|date=3 February 2014|access-date=3 February 2014}}</ref>

Government [[hospital school]]s are located at some major hospitals and provide access to tuition for students who have extended stays in hospitals.<ref>{{cite web|author=Facchinetti, Annie|url=http://www.educationtoday.com.au/_images/articles/pdf/article-pdf-1198.pdf|title=Getting personal with hospital schools|work=Education Today|date=June 2016|access-date=18 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.education.sa.gov.au/supporting-students/health-e-safety-and-wellbeing/health-support-planning/managing-health-education-and-care/health-support-services-and-programs/hospital-school-south-australia-hssa|title=Hospital School South Australia (HSSA)|work=[[Department for Education (South Australia)|SA Department for Education]]|publisher=Government of South Australia|date=6 December 2018|access-date=18 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190528171436/https://www.education.sa.gov.au/supporting-students/health-e-safety-and-wellbeing/health-support-planning/managing-health-education-and-care/health-support-services-and-programs/hospital-school-south-australia-hssa|archive-date=28 May 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Facchinetti, Annie|url=https://monashchildrenshospital.org/school/|title=Monash Children's Hospital School|work=Monash Children's Hospital|publisher=Monash Health|date=n.d.|access-date=18 August 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|author=Carmody, Rebecca|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2018-11-08/perth-childrens-hospital-school-keeps-students-on-track-smiling/10470914|title=Perth Children's Hospital school helping students stay on track and smiling|work=[[ABC News (Australia)|ABC News]]|location=Australia|date=8 November 2018|access-date=18 August 2019}}</ref>

Across Australia, the [[Department of Education (Australia, 2019–2020)|Federal Department of Education]] sets the overall national policy and direction for education in Australia. The following [[States and territories of Australia|state and territory]] [[government department]]s are responsible for the administration of education within their respective jurisdictions:

{| class="wikitable sortable"
|+Government educational authority by state/territory
|-
! State/territory !! Government educational agency !! Other relevant authorities 
|-
| [[Australian Capital Territory]] || [[ACT Government#ACT Government Directorates|ACT Education Directorate]] || ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies<ref>{{Cite web|title=ACT Board of Senior Secondary Studies|url=https://www.bsss.act.edu.au/|access-date=2022-11-18|website=bsss.act.edu.au}}</ref>
|-
| [[New South Wales]] || [[Department of Education (New South Wales)|NSW Department of Education]]|| [[New South Wales Education Standards Authority|NSW Education Standards Authority]] 
|-
| [[Northern Territory]] || [[Minister for Education (Northern Territory)|NT Department of Education]] ||
|-
| [[Queensland]] || [[Department of Education and Training (Queensland)|QLD Department of Education]] || [[Queensland Curriculum and Assessment Authority]]
|-
| [[South Australia]] || [[Department for Education (South Australia)|SA Department for Education]] || [[South Australian Certificate of Education|SACE Board of South Australia]]
|-
| [[Tasmania]] || [[Department of Education (Tasmania)|Department for Education, Children and Young People]]  || Office of Tasmanian Assessment, Standards and Certification 
|-
| [[Victoria (Australia)|Victoria]] || [[Department of Education (Victoria)|VIC Department of Education]] || [[Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority]] 
|-
| [[Western Australia]] || [[Department of Education (Western Australia)|WA Department of Education]] || School Curriculum and Standards Authority
|}