5518.0.55.001 - Government Finance Statistics, Education, Australia, 2016-17 Quality Declaration 
ARCHIVED ISSUE Released at 11:30 AM (CANBERRA TIME) 26/04/2018   
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GLOSSARY

Capital grant expenses

Unrequited payments by government to finance the acquisition of non-financial capital assets by the recipient, or compensate the recipient for damage or destruction of capital assets, or increase the financial capital of the recipient.

Capital transfer expenses

Transactions in which the ownership of an asset (other than cash and inventories) is transferred from one institutional unit to another, in which cash is transferred to enable the recipient to acquire another asset or in which the funds realised by the disposal of another asset are transferred. Includes capital grant expenses.

Change in inventories

The change in the value of inventories arising from transactions over the accounting period. Users should note that as 'Change in inventories' is not allocated across Government Purpose Classifications (GPCs) in Government Finance Statistics (GFS), this component of Net acquisition of non-financial assets is not available in GFS data at the GPC level presented in this publication.

Current grant expenses

Voluntary transfers intended to finance the current activities of the recipient. Includes grants for current purposes to private non-profit organisations serving households, grants made to foreign governments and organisations including grants made for aid projects, and current grants from one level of government to another (eg. Commonwealth to State) and between units in different jurisdictions within the same level of government.

Current transfer expenses

Refers to payments that are current in nature for which no economic benefits are received in return for payment. Includes current grant expenses, subsidies and current monetary transfers to households.

Depreciation

The accounting process of systematically allocating the cost less estimated residual value of an asset over its expected life.

Employee expenses

Employee expenses relate to compensation of employees and reflect those expenses accrued as a result of services provided by employees in the current period. They include wages and salaries, annual leave, long service leave and superannuation.

Gross domestic product (GDP)

Total market value of goods and services produced in Australia within a given period after deducting the cost of the goods and services used up in the process of production, but before allowance for the consumption of fixed capital (depreciation).

Gross fixed capital formation

The value of acquisitions of new and existing produced assets, other than inventories, less the value of disposals of new or existing produced assets, other than inventories.

Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS)

Replaced by HELP in 2005, HECS required students to pay a contribution towards the cost of their higher education. Payments could be made direct to the institution attended at the time the education course was undertaken, or students could enter a loan agreement with the Commonwealth Government to discharge their obligation on their behalf. Students then progressively repaid the loan at a later date through the taxation system.

Higher Education Loan Programme (HELP)

The Higher Education Loan Programme (HELP) was introduced on 1 January 2005 and replaced the Higher Education Contribution Scheme (HECS). HELP comprises a number of schemes which enable eligible students to obtain a loan for either all or part of their tuition fees.

In GFS, the HELP and HECS loans are recorded as advances from the Commonwealth Government to the students while the payment of contributions on behalf of the students are treated as payments for a service by students to higher education institutions.

Household final consumption expenditure

Net expenditure on goods and services by persons and expenditure of a current nature by private non-profit institutions serving households on the consumption of educational services. These include expenditure on salaries paid to non-government school teachers and HECS and HELP payments (both up front and deferred) by students.

Intra-sector transfers

Transactions or transfers between levels of government that are eliminated during the GFS consolidation process. Includes grants from one level of government to another.

Non-employee expenses

Those operating expenses other than compensation of employees (employee expenses), depreciation, or current or capital transfer expenses.

Sales of goods and services

Revenue from the direct provision of goods and services.