The Federal Government has announced it will postpone the development of the Australian Baccalaureate for two years to save expenditure of $8.5 million over three years.

The Australian Baccalaureate is intended to be a voluntary internationally recognised qualification that will complement existing senior secondary school qualifications. Consultations for its development were due to begin in 2013‑14 with rollout expected in 2015 or 2016. However, components of the National Curriculum that are intended to support the Australian Baccalaureate have been delayed, which in turn will delay the rollout of the Baccalaureate.