A headline on the Sydney Morning Herald newspaper website today read, "Australia 'wonder from Down Under' after jobs rise".  Some interesting quotes from the story:

• "The jobless rate fell 0.1 percentage points to 5.7 percent in November" (I'm not sure it ever cleared 6%, while the US has gone over 10%)
• "The economy may not yet be going gangbusters but Australia clearly has the strongest economy in the developed world."
• "Australia was the only advanced economy to avoid a technical recession during the global slowdown..."
• "I think the figures today are further evidence of the impact of stimulus in the Australian economy. If it was not for stimulus Australia would be in recession right now."

I can't say that the strength of the Aussie economy in the midst of the global crisis has directly effected us in great ways.  For example, food prices have risen significantly since our arrival here.  Teachers did receive significant raises in February and July this past year and the new agreement will bring two more raises during 2010 (Lutheran teachers are unionised in Australia).  We don't really know that many people who have lost jobs in the past year.

But one direct connection we have to the quotes above is the economic stimulus package that is bringing great benefits to our Living Waters Lutheran College.  The college is getting very close to breaking ground on a new gymnasium.  The $2.5 million cost is being funded totally by the federal government.  Altogether, the Lutheran schools in Australia will be receiving over $38 million for new buildings from the stimulus package.  That kind of funding for Lutheran education from the federal government never happens in the US.

In addition, the college is receiving significant funding for technology from the federal government as part of the Digital Education Revolution program.  This past year, we used this funding to purchase 148 laptops.  Now we're making plans for spending several hundred thousand more dollars for IT that we'll be receiving in 2010 and 2011 as part of the same program. (I know a more exact estimate of that number, but don't want to publish it here - but it's mind-boggling.)  As a result, my role at the college is being tweaked to work more with preparing teachers for integrating technology in their classrooms, which I'm looking forward to when our new school year begins in February.