❓ Mr. Wyatt questions the rationale and details of a new levy on schools to fund long service leave liabilities. The government defends the levy as a reasonable contribution to backfilling costs and clarifies its use within the Department's broader financial management.
AnsweredQoN 1260Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
I refer to the Government’s announcement of a levy to be placed on schools to fund its long service leave liability and I ask: (a) how were the amounts levied of $600 per teacher and $400 per education assistants determined; (b) will this levy be issued to schools on one occasion only, and if so will the Minister for Education guarantee that this levy will not be issued to schools again in future years; (c) what rationale is there behind the use of levy on schools to fund long service leave; (d) how much money does the Department expect to raise from the levy; and (e) will funds raised from the levy remain with the Department of Education: (i) if yes to (e), will the funds be set aside specifically to fund long service leave; and (ii) if no to (e), where will these funds go?
AnswerView source ↗
Answered
29 October 2013
Responded by
Minister representing the Minister for Education
Response time
35 days
(a) The amounts levied were considered to be a reasonable contribution towards meeting the costs of backfilling school staff on long service leave.
(b) All school funding arrangements are being reviewed in the context of the implementation of a student-centred funding model from 2015.
(c) The decision by Government to cap leave liability balances means that the Department must encourage more staff to take leave. The majority of frontline school staff must be backfilled when taking leave. The Leave Liability Levy assists the Department to meet the costs of backfilling these staff.
(d) The Department forecasts that the levy will total an estimated $15 million in 2014.
(e) Yes.
(i) No. The levy will increase the Department's capacity to meet the costs of backfilling school staff on long service leave, but funds will not be specifically set aside in a trust account or similar arrangement to fund long service leave. The Department's accounts have been arranged so that it can monitor both the value of the Leave Liability Levy collected and the value of leave taken.
(ii) Not applicable.
(b) All school funding arrangements are being reviewed in the context of the implementation of a student-centred funding model from 2015.
(c) The decision by Government to cap leave liability balances means that the Department must encourage more staff to take leave. The majority of frontline school staff must be backfilled when taking leave. The Leave Liability Levy assists the Department to meet the costs of backfilling these staff.
(d) The Department forecasts that the levy will total an estimated $15 million in 2014.
(e) Yes.
(i) No. The levy will increase the Department's capacity to meet the costs of backfilling school staff on long service leave, but funds will not be specifically set aside in a trust account or similar arrangement to fund long service leave. The Department's accounts have been arranged so that it can monitor both the value of the Leave Liability Levy collected and the value of leave taken.
(ii) Not applicable.
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