Entity
Department of Education
−$10.6bn (−13.2%) on 2025-26 estimated actual
Kind of expense
Traced to named suppliers and grant recipients
$1.7bn falls in 2026-27, equal to 2.4% of this total: $212m in contracts and $1.5bn in grants. estimate: annualised
From AusTender contract notices and GrantConnect grant awards published since 2022-07-01. Each contract’s or grant’s value is spread evenly from its start to end date. These values are commitments, not payments, and records published before 2022-07-01 are not included yet.
By program
| Program | 2025-26 estimated actual |
2026-27 Budget estimate |
Change | Share | Removed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Program 1.2: Child Care SubsidyThe Child Care Subsidy (CCS) aims to improve access to quality early childhood education and care by providing assistanc… | $15.6bn | $16.9bn | +$1.3bn +8.3% | 24.3% | – |
| Program 2.1: Core Commonwealth Funding for Teaching and Learning in Higher EducationA highly skilled workforce and educated community is important for economic productivity and social wellbeing. The Commo… | $8.0bn | $9.2bn | +$1.2bn +15.5% | 13.3% | – |
| Program 1.4: Non-Government Schools National Support | $20.6bn | $21.4bn | +$869m +4.2% | 30.8% | – |
| Program 1.3: Government Schools National Support | $12.4bn | $13.0bn | +$530m +4.3% | 18.7% | – |
| Program 2.5: Investment in Higher Education ResearchThe Australian Government is committed to a world-class research system, that encourages innovation and economic growth.… | $2.4bn | $2.4bn | +$51m +2.2% | 3.5% | – |
| Outcome 2 | $159m | $155m | −$4.3m −2.7% | 0.2% | – |
| Program 2.7: International Education SupportInternational education is increasingly important to Australia’s prosperity and our engagement with the world. The progr… | $16m | $11m | −$5.0m −31.4% | 0.0% | – |
| Outcome 1 | $280m | $274m | −$5.5m −2.0% | 0.4% | – |
| Program 2.2: Higher Education Superannuation Program | $178m | $166m | −$11m −6.4% | 0.2% | – |
| Program 1.5: Early Learning and Schools SupportThis program supports initiatives that contribute to improved access to high-quality teaching and learning in early lear… | $250m | $237m | −$13m −5.2% | 0.3% | – |
| Program 2.6: Research CapacityResearch advances our knowledge and drives our potential for innovation, economic competitiveness, and social change. Th… | $655m | $472m | −$182m −27.9% | 0.7% | – |
| Program 1.1: Support for the Child Care System | $2.3bn | $1.6bn | −$678m −29.3% | 2.4% | – |
| Program 2.3: Higher Education SupportThe program aims to ensure the quality of our higher education system is maintained and improved. The program also aims… | $1.5bn | $784m | −$693m −46.9% | 1.1% | – |
| Program 2.4: Higher Education Loan Program | $15.8bn | $2.8bn | −$12.9bn −82.1% | 4.0% | – |
Worth a closer look
Patterns in this agency’s contract notices published in 2025-26 and 2026-27 to date. Each is a measurable pattern with common legitimate explanations; none is a finding of wrongdoing. How these are defined.
- Value increased after award 4 contracts · $27m
The contract’s value rose after it was first published. - Published long after it started 1 contract · $120k
The contract notice was published more than six months after the contract’s start date. - Supplier’s ABN was new 4 contracts · $1.1m
The supplier’s ABN had been active for less than three months when the contract started or was published.
Who gets paid
Contracts active in 2026-27, from AusTender. Amounts for the year are each contract’s value spread across its term. estimate: annualised
- Contracts active
- 305
- Suppliers
- 187
- Limited tender
- 29.6% of value · 96 contracts
- Value added by amendments
- $109m across 98 amended contracts
Largest suppliers
Suppliers who are individuals are counted in the totals above but not listed. Why
| Supplier | Contracts | 2026-27 est. | Limited tender |
|---|---|---|---|
| KU CHILDREN'S SERVICES | 1 | $18m | 0.0% |
| Education Services Australia Ltd | 6 | $18m | 100.0% |
| AUSTRALIAN CHILDREN'S EDUCATION & CARE QUALITY AUTHORITY | 8 | $16m | 100.0% |
| The Social Research Centre Pty Ltd | 5 | $15m | 0.0% |
| IT TAKES A VILLAGE AUSTRALIA LIMITE | 1 | $13m | 0.0% |
| AUSTRALIAN COUNCIL FOR EDUCATIONAL | 7 | $7.9m | 69.0% |
| AUTISM SPECTRUM AUSTRALIA (ASPECT) AUTISM SPECTRUM AUSTRALIA (ASPECT) | 1 | $7.3m | 0.0% |
| Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu | 4 | $6.9m | 0.0% |
| HAYS SPECIALIST RECRUITMENT (AUSTRA Pty Limited | 10 | $5.7m | 0.0% |
| Campus Plus Pty Ltd | 1 | $4.6m | 0.0% |
| Nous Group Pty Ltd | 6 | $3.8m | 0.0% |
| ONE TREE COMMUNITY SERVICES INC | 1 | $3.5m | 0.0% |
| UNIVERSAL MCCANN MEDIABRANDS AUSTRALIA P/L T/AS | 1 | $3.2m | 0.0% |
| EMBER ADVISORS | 4 | $2.8m | 0.0% |
| FAMILY DAY CARE ASSOCIATION QLD LTD | 1 | $2.6m | 100.0% |
Largest contracts
Suppliers who are individuals are counted in the totals above but not listed. Why
Professional services by kind of work
Contracts active in 2026-27 that AusTender files under “management and business professionals”, sorted by an AI model reading each contract’s description. AI-classified estimate: annualised
A further $4.2m across 5 contracts has descriptions too vague to classify with confidence, and is left out of the categories above.
In 2024-25 the entity reported paying $14m on consultancy contracts (cash, including GST). Contracts classified as consultancy come to $20m for that year (AusTender values spread over each contract’s term). The two are measured differently, so they are not expected to match. How we classify.
Grants awarded
Grants active in 2026-27, from GrantConnect. Each grant’s total value is spread across its term. estimate: annualised
- Grants active
- 7329
- 2026-27 est.
- $1.5bn
- Recipients
- 6334
- Without an open round
- 2.6% of value
Includes $6.5m in awards the agency reported in aggregate, for many recipients at once, such as disaster payments.
By category
Largest recipients
Recipients who are individuals, and awards that name no single recipient, are counted above but not listed. Why
| Recipient | Grants | 2026-27 est. |
|---|---|---|
| Goodstart Early Learning Limited | 1 | $59m |
| Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation | 4 | $45m |
| Bioplatforms Australia Limited | 1 | $42m |
| University of Tasmania | 5 | $42m |
| The Australian National University | 3 | $34m |
| G8 Education Limited | 1 | $28m |
| Australian National Fabrication Facility Ltd | 1 | $26m |
| Affinity Education Group Limited | 1 | $25m |
| The University of Queensland | 6 | $24m |
| Guardian Community Early Learning Centres Proprietary Limited | 1 | $21m |
| Clontarf Foundation | 1 | $19m |
| Australian Children's Education and Care Quality Authority | 1 | $19m |
| AuScope Limited | 1 | $18m |
| Astronomy Australia Limited | 1 | $14m |
| Therapeutic Innovation Australia Limited | 1 | $12m |
Contract spending reported by the entity
What the entity reported in its annual reports, from the Transparency Portal: cash paid in each year, including GST. These are actual payments, unlike the AusTender contract values above. They are shown as published and are not used in any total on this site. reported
| Year | Consultancy | Other contracts |
|---|---|---|
| 2024-25 | $14m 55 contracts |
$189m 506 contracts |
| 2023-24 | $14m 71 contracts |
$189m 608 contracts |
| 2022-23 | $14m 56 contracts |
$182m 0 contracts |
Organisations paid the most in 2024-25
As listed by the entity, usually its five largest of each type. Organisations who are individuals are not listed. Why
| Consultancy | 2024-25 |
|---|---|
| PARKVILLE INSTITUTE LTD | $3.4m |
| SNAICC | $2.4m |
| ACCENTURE AUSTRALIA PTY LTD | $1.9m |
| KPMG | $995k |
| THE NOUS GROUP | $989k |
| DANDOLO PARTNERS | $785k |
| ERNST AND YOUNG | $752k |
| BDO SERVICES PTY LTD | $673k |
| Other contracts | 2024-25 |
|---|---|
| KU Children's Services | $26m |
| Australian Council For Educational Research | $20m |
| The Social Research Centre | $16m |
| Education Services Australia | $11m |
| Community Child Care Association | $9.6m |