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Report

The committee tabled its report on 12 July 2017, which is available in the Tabled Papers database, and under Related Publications, via the following link Report No. 36, 55th Parliament - Education (Accreditation of Non-State Schools) Bill 2017. The government response can be found here.  The Bill passed with amendment on the 10 August 2017.

Submissions

Submissions closed 7 June 2017 at 4pm. 

The Bill

On 9 May 2017 the Hon. Kate Jones, Minister for Education and Minister for Tourism, Major Events and the Commonwealth Games introduced the Education (Accreditation of Non-State Schools) Bill 2017 into the Queensland Parliament.  The Bill was referred to the Education, Tourism, Innovation and Small Business Committee for detailed consideration.

The Explanatory Notes state that:

The non-state schooling sector in Queensland educates approximately one-third of Queensland’s school students (approximately 266,000 students) through 504 schools.

Non-state schools must be accredited to operate by the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board (the Board) under the Education (Accreditation of Non-State Schools) Act 2001 (the Accreditation Act). The Minister for Education decides on a non-state school’s eligibility for Queensland Government funding, based on criteria prescribed in the Accreditation Act and upon the recommendation of the Board’s Non-State Schools Eligibility for Government Funding Committee (Funding Eligibility Committee).

In 2014, the Department of Education and Training (DET) commenced a review of non-state education regulatory arrangements, with a view to modernising and streamlining non-state school accreditation.

This review was informed by a Reference Group comprising DET officials, the Executive Directors of the Queensland Catholic Education Commission (QCEC), Independent Schools

Queensland (ISQ) and the chair of the Accreditation Board.

The Bill replaces the Education (Accreditation of Non-State Schools) Act 2001 and:

• continues the Board as an independent statutory body responsible for the regulation of non-state schools;
• streamlines the accreditation processes, for example, by removing the concept of provisional accreditation and the requirement for the issuing of accreditation certificates;
• streamlines the process for government funding eligibility by: providing for the Board to Education (Accreditation of Non-State Schools) Bill 2017 make funding eligibility decisions, rather than the Minister, on advice from the Funding Eligibility Committee; and enabling automatic eligibility for accredited non-state schools operating on a not-for-profit basis to receive government funding;
• strengthens the functions of authorised persons to investigate offences under the Act and requires governing bodies to inform the Board when members cease and new members commence; and
• provides for review of decisions by the Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal rather than by the Minister.

Timeline