Productivity Commission report on education

The Minister for Education, Phil Gude, has commented on the Productivity Commission's Report on Government Service Provision 1999 as follows:

• the education figures are two years out of date (1996-97), and there have been large increases in education spending in Victoria over the past two years
• Victorian students are achieving well above the national average in literacy, Victoria has the second highest retention rate, and has the highest proportion of any State of 16 to 19 year olds in education
• the real issue is not about being the highest spending state, but the highest achieving state.

(News Release, Office of the Minister for Education, February 12, 1999)