Department of Education
Education portfolio
$69.5B
$69,512,888,000 across 14 programs, 2026-27
Source: Portfolio Budget Statements 2026-27, 2026-27 PBS Program Expenses Line Items - Updated 2026-06-18 (w. Corrigenda). Retrieved 25 September 2026.
Administered
$69.1B
Money it hands out on the government's behalf — grants, benefits, subsidies.
Departmental
$428.9M
What it costs to run: staff, property, suppliers.
Contracts published
325
$332.6M in total
Programs
Each line is a program in the budget papers, with what it is given. The category is FOCUp's, mapped from the published program name; a blank means no rule matched it plainly, which is recorded rather than guessed.
| Program | Category | Administered | Departmental | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
Program 1.4: Non-Government Schools National Support Outcome 1: Improved early learning, schooling, student educational outcomes and transitions to and from school through access to quality early childhood education and care, support, parent engagement, quality teaching and learning environments 2026-27 PBS Education · retrieved 25 September 2026 | Education | $21.4B | — | $21.4B30.8% |
Program 1.2: Child Care Subsidy Outcome 1: Improved early learning, schooling, student educational outcomes and transitions to and from school through access to quality early childhood education and care, support, parent engagement, quality teaching and learning environments 2026-27 PBS Education · retrieved 25 September 2026 | Education | $16.9B | — | $16.9B24.3% |
Program 1.3: Government Schools National Support Outcome 1: Improved early learning, schooling, student educational outcomes and transitions to and from school through access to quality early childhood education and care, support, parent engagement, quality teaching and learning environments 2026-27 PBS Education · retrieved 25 September 2026 | Education | $13.0B | — | $13.0B18.7% |
Program 2.1: Core Commonwealth Funding for Teaching and Learning in Higher Education (a) Outcome 2: Promote growth in economic productivity and social wellbeing through access to quality higher education, international education, and international quality research 2026-27 PBS Education · retrieved 25 September 2026 | Education | $9.2B | — | $9.2B13.3% |
Program 2.4: Higher Education Loan Program Outcome 2: Promote growth in economic productivity and social wellbeing through access to quality higher education, international education, and international quality research 2026-27 PBS Education · retrieved 25 September 2026 | Education | $2.8B | — | $2.8B4.0% |
Program 2.5: Investment in Higher Education Research Outcome 2: Promote growth in economic productivity and social wellbeing through access to quality higher education, international education, and international quality research 2026-27 PBS Education · retrieved 25 September 2026 | Education | $2.4B | — | $2.4B3.5% |
Program 1.1: Support for the Child Care System Outcome 1: Improved early learning, schooling, student educational outcomes and transitions to and from school through access to quality early childhood education and care, support, parent engagement, quality teaching and learning environments 2026-27 PBS Education · retrieved 25 September 2026 | Education | $1.6B | — | $1.6B2.4% |
Program 2.3: Higher Education Support Outcome 2: Promote growth in economic productivity and social wellbeing through access to quality higher education, international education, and international quality research 2026-27 PBS Education · retrieved 25 September 2026 | Education | $783.8M | — | $783.8M1.1% |
Program 2.6: Research Capacity Outcome 2: Promote growth in economic productivity and social wellbeing through access to quality higher education, international education, and international quality research 2026-27 PBS Education · retrieved 25 September 2026 | Education | $472.4M | — | $472.4M0.7% |
Outcome 1 Outcome 1: Improved early learning, schooling, student educational outcomes and transitions to and from school through access to quality early childhood education and care, support, parent engagement, quality teaching and learning environments 2026-27 PBS Education · retrieved 25 September 2026 | Education | — | $274.2M | $274.2M0.4% |
Program 1.5: Early Learning and Schools Support Outcome 1: Improved early learning, schooling, student educational outcomes and transitions to and from school through access to quality early childhood education and care, support, parent engagement, quality teaching and learning environments 2026-27 PBS Education · retrieved 25 September 2026 | Education | $237.1M | — | $237.1M0.3% |
Program 2.2: Higher Education Superannuation Program Outcome 2: Promote growth in economic productivity and social wellbeing through access to quality higher education, international education, and international quality research 2026-27 PBS Education · retrieved 25 September 2026 | Education | $166.4M | — | $166.4M0.2% |
Outcome 2 Outcome 2: Promote growth in economic productivity and social wellbeing through access to quality higher education, international education, and international quality research 2026-27 PBS Education · retrieved 25 September 2026 | Education | — | $154.6M | $154.6M0.2% |
Program 2.7: International Education Support Outcome 2: Promote growth in economic productivity and social wellbeing through access to quality higher education, international education, and international quality research 2026-27 PBS Education · retrieved 25 September 2026 | Education | $10.9M | — | $10.9M<0.1% |
Largest contracts
The 25 largest of 325. A contract notice is the value of an agreement over its whole term, not money spent in a year, so these are never added to the budget figures.
| Supplier | For | Term | Value |
|---|---|---|---|
KU CHILDREN'S SERVICES | Provision of Inclusion Agency services under the Inclusion Support Program.CN4247331 | 30 June 2026 to 29 November 2028 | $44.7M |
AUSTRALIAN CHILDREN'S EDUCATION & CARE QUALITY AUTHORITY | Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) National Educator Register and improved transparency measuresCN4197139 | 16 October 2025 to 29 June 2028 | $34.7M |
AUTISM SPECTRUM AUSTRALIA (ASPECT) AUTISM SPECTRUM AUSTRALIA (ASPECT) | Provision of services for Phase 5 of the Positive Partnerships ProgramCN4245004 | 26 May 2026 to 29 September 2029 | $24.6M |
Education Services Australia Ltd | Provision of hosting and maintenance services for the Online National Assessment Platform.CN4274397 | 30 August 2026 to 30 August 2029 | $21.9M |
IT TAKES A VILLAGE AUSTRALIA LIMITE | Delivery of Inclusion Agency service under Inclusion Support Program (ISP).CN4247330 | 30 June 2026 to 29 November 2027 | $18.6M |
AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH (ACER) | Implementation of the Two-Year Pilot of the Preschool Outcomes Measure.CN4230025 | 30 March 2026 to 29 June 2028 | $8.2M |
ONE TREE COMMUNITY SERVICES INC | Delivery of Inclusion Agency services under the Inclusion Support Program (ISP) in Western AustraliaCN4250852 | 30 June 2026 to 29 October 2028 | $8.1M |
DELOITTE TOUCHE TOHMATSU | Inclusion Development Fund Manager Services for the Inclusion Support ProgramCN4180274 | 22 July 2025 to 29 September 2027 | $7.8M |
GOWRIE SA LADY GOWRIE CHILD CENTRE INCORPORAT | Inclusion Agency service delivery under Inclusion Support Program (ISP) in South AustraliaCN4250855 | 30 June 2026 to 29 November 2028 | $6.2M |
Unesco | Australia’s contribution to the project entitled ‘Addressing antisemitism through education: a national pilot program for Australian schools'.CN4274047 | 25 June 2026 to 29 June 2028 | $5.0M |
ALCHEMY PARTNERS | Schools USI Project - Business Readiness ServicesCN4213358 | 30 November 2025 to 29 November 2026 | $4.4M |
THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY | Three waves data collection and delivery of data and relevant productsCN4250854 | 1 June 2026 to 30 December 2028 | $4.3M |
AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH (ACER) | National Project Manager for Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2029CN4253661 | 21 June 2026 to 29 June 2032 | $3.6M |
HAYS SPECIALIST RECRUITMENT (AUS)PL | Labour Hire Services - Helpdesk enquiries.CN4166587 | 30 June 2025 to 29 June 2027 | $3.4M |
EARLY CHILDHOOD AUSTRALIA NT BRANCH | Delivery of Inclusion Agency services under Inclusion Support Program (ISP) in the Northern TerritoryCN4250853 | 30 June 2026 to 29 November 2028 | $3.4M |
UNIVERSAL MCCANN MEDIABRANDS AUSTRALIA PTY LTD | Campaign advertising services - Tackling BullyingCN4259254 | 30 June 2026 to 9 October 2026 | $3.0M |
COMCARE | Comcare Premium and Regulatory Contribution 2025-26.CN4175933 | 7 July 2025 to 7 August 2025 | $2.9M |
AUSTRALIAN CHILDREN'S EDUCATION & CARE QUALITY AUTHORITY | ACECQA Community Child Care Fund Restricted (CCCFR) Services - Quality and Safety Project - Stage 4CN4210319 | 31 December 2025 to 30 August 2027 | $2.9M |
AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH (ACER) | Delivery of the Literacy and Numeracy Test for Initial Teacher Education (LANTITE)CN4204173 | 18 November 2025 to 29 June 2028 | $2.9M |
HAYS SPECIALIST RECRUITMENT (AUS)PL | Labour Hire Services - Grant AssessorsCN4171926 | 30 June 2025 to 29 June 2027 | $2.8M |
EMBER ADVISORS | Provision of Detection and Targeting services for Child Care Subsidy (CCS) Integrity Risks.CN4195346 | 30 September 2025 to 29 June 2027 | $2.8M |
LADY GOWRIE TASMANIA | Inclusion Agency service delivery under Inclusion Support Program (ISP) in TasmaniaCN4250856 | 30 June 2026 to 29 November 2028 | $2.5M |
Chandler MacLeod | Labour Hire Services - Grant AssessorsCN4171924 | 30 June 2025 to 29 June 2027 | $2.4M |
THE ALANNAH & MADELINE FOUNDATION | Anti-Bullying Resource Package for Students and Parents/CarersCN4247334 | 19 May 2026 to 28 January 2027 | $2.4M |
THE NOUS GROUP | Provision of support for the Nation-wide Assessment of CCTV in Early Childhood, Education and Care SettingsCN4198719 | 26 October 2025 to 25 February 2027 | $2.4M |