Ways in which the current economic crisis is articulated politically into the logic of Australian education are discussed in this paper. A major argument is that the dominance of Australian government by the ideology of economic rationalism has facilitated the development of a comprehensive, technical model for the reorganization of the basic message systems of Australian education. National restructuring mechanisms speak directly to the reorganization of curriculum, pedagogy, and assessment. A revised administrative message system, based on the principles of universalization, standardization, and hierarchization, links training, skills, performance, and reward into a comprehensive, integrated, technical system. However, it is further argued that this agenda is inappropriate for the complex, dynamic, and differentiated nature of educational and administrative processes because the persuasive and critical functions of a properly conceived administration contradict the easy achievement of technical solutions to educational and administrative problems. A conclusion is that the construction of an educational administrative knowledge base should encompass the dynamic qualities of a model that acknowledges the persuasive functions of administration and the critical discussion of meanings and purposes inherent in any complex and highly differentiated society. (24 references) (LMI)