The education and tuition category on StartLocal includes all categories where the primary objective is to provide education or training to individuals and groups.

Australia boasts one of the best education services in the world. Education is compulsory for children aged six to sixteen and follows the three-tier model which includes primary education, secondary education and tertiary education. Each state is responsible for education in their respective territories by regulating and funding schools within. The federal government helps in funding these schools; however, it is not responsible nor is it involved in setting curriculum.

The Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations is responsible for ensuring the highest standards in education. However, state and territory education and policies are spearheaded by each state's respective departments.

In Australia, preschool or kindergarten is not compulsory and unregulated. Australian children are often sent to day cares, but these are not considered as preschool education. Preschools are usually run by state governments except in Victoria, South Australia and New South Wales where they are run by local councils or private organizations.

As stated above, education is compulsory for children ages six to sixteen as specified by law. Primary education is commonly known as elementary education in the west. The purpose of primary education is to achieve basic literacy and numeracy as well as establishing a basic foundation in science, math, history and other social sciences.

Secondary education follows primary education and is generally the final stage of compulsory education. It is commonly referred to as high school. It is characterized by the transition from basic education to higher education usually as preparation for university or college. Government schools are typically free although there are usually contributions that need to be given. The duration of secondary education vary per state.

Tertiary education is study at university to receive further training in a particular field. Universities provide higher training and as a result, tuition and other fees are higher. Courses in tertiary schools are hugely regulated by their respective schools. Courses offered by universities include communications, engineering, sciences, and many more.

Tertiary education awards are as follows:

• Certificate, Diploma and Associate Degrees which take one to two years to complete.
• Bachelor's Degrees which generally take three to four years to finish.
• Masters Degrees which are awarded after completion of one or more bachelor's degrees at a more advanced level.
• Doctorates which requires a Bachelor's degrees with good honours or a Master's degree with a research component. A thesis or dissertation is usually required to receive a doctorate.

Tuition and other fees for tertiary education in Australia may reach up to $A20,000 a year and can be quite prohibitive. There are programs that provide financial assistance to university students such as free loans under the High Education loan Programme (HELP) which is provided by the Department of Education, Science and Training.