Australia

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Australia is a major contributor to COL’s budget and is represented on COL’s Board of Governors. Through its Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), it provides support and expertise to COL’s initiatives promoting learning for sustainable development in the Pacific and other regions of the Commonwealth.

COL is contributing to several relevant development priorities for Australia in the areas of support recovery from the impacts of Covid-19, enhancing capacity and efficiency of education sectors through greater use of innovative delivery mechanisms and technology, in advancing climate action (through policy, capacity, resources and research) and gender equality and disability Inclusion.

Experts from Australia continue to provide technical advice related to ODL, OER and curriculum design for institutions in Commonwealth Member Countries.

Participation rate of youth and adults in formal and non-formal education and training in the previous 12 months, 15-64 years old¹
n/a		n/a
Female		Male

Completion rate, lower secondary education for the school year ending in 2020¹
98.9%		98.4%
Female		Male

Gross enrolment ratio for tertiary education for the school year ending in 2020¹
133.2%		95.9%
Female		Male

Proportion of teachers with the minimum required qualifications in secondary education¹
n/a		n/a
Female		Male

1. UNESCO Institute for Statistics Data Centre, retrieved in May 2023

Partners

Partnerships are fundamental to COL’s work. Strategic partnerships allow COL to broaden its reach and engage at global, regional and national levels, while implementation partners support COL’s work in communities and institutions across Commonwealth Member States. Partners include multilateral organisations, regional bodies, national governments, government agencies, foundations, civil society organisations, public and private (not-for-profit) institutions and the private sector. COL partnerships assist in improving and extending teaching and learning services to people in the developing Commonwealth.

COL’s partners in Australia include:

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT)
Open and Distance Learning Association of Australia (ODLAA)

Key Contacts

Board of Governors

Professor Belinda Tynan
Principal, Monitor Deloitte, Education & Public Sector

Focal Point

Mr Rohan Campbell
Assistant Director, Commonwealth | Multilateral Order Branch
Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

Notable Mention

Ms Ali Gillies, former member of COL Board of Governors

Mr Martin Bean, CBE, COL Honorary Fellow and former member of COL Board of Governors

Prof Clifford D. Blake, AO, COL Honorary Fellow and former member of COL Board of Governors

Prof Richard Johnson, former member of COL Board of Governors

The late Professor James A. Maraj, founding COL President and CEO

Prof Som Naidu, Honorary COL Adviser

Prof Malcolm Skilbeck, member of COL’s Founding Board of Governors

Prof James Taylor, COL Honorary Fellow

Literacy rate
n/a		n/a
Female, Adult (15+)		Male, Adult (15+)

Economic Activity – Labour Forces Participation (2017)¹
72.6%		83%
Female, Ages 15-64		Male, Ages 15-64

Political Decision Making (2022)¹
44.5%
Share of seats held by women in national parliament

Life expectancy (2023)¹
84.8		81.3
Female		Male

1. COL gender country profile October 2023

96	110
Individuals using the internet (%)¹	Mobile-cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹

35	120
Fixed-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹	Active mobile-broadband subscriptions per 100 inhabitants¹




1. International Telecommunication Union (ITU), retrieved in May 2023.

Australia

Partners

Key Contacts

Board of Governors

Focal Point

Notable Mention

More Information

News

Reports

Publications and Resources

Country Data Sources