Welcome to 2026!
As we started the new year at the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC), we have been delighted to welcome Scott Ryan, our new Executive Director, into our office and into the role.
Scott has hit the ground running. He has been meeting people, receiving briefings and engaging with the key issues which will inform his advocacy for Catholic education and the provision of high quality, accessible, faith-filled education for our 830,000 students and 115,000 staff in 1,751 Catholic schools across Australia.
As schools opened for a new year, there has been plenty happening at a national level.
Following the tragic events at Bondi late last year, the federal government established an antisemitism taskforce to look at the role education can play in combatting hate. Catholic education has been able to share with the taskforce a range of existing resources and practices alive in our schools which celebrate inter-faith respect and understanding.
We have also been working with the federal government to compile exemplars of practices across our states and territories which work towards the Better Fairer Schools Agreement (BFSA) in areas of equity and excellence, wellbeing for learning and engagement, and a strong and sustainable workforce. There are many impressive things happening across our schools and school systems and we look forward to sharing these with you throughout the year and on our social media channels.
At the end of January, the NCEC made its pre-budget submission to Treasury. This is an important element of our role as the national peak body and seeks to outline areas for Catholic education which should be a fiscal priority for the government. Given the next budget forecasts until 2030, our submission focused largely on the non-government funding agreement which is set to expire in 2029. The elements of this agreement which ensure choice and affordability of Catholic schools are fundamental to our ability to provide accessible, high-quality education for the families in our schools.
Finally, to round out the start of the year, our first commission meeting for 2026 was held today which took time to consider the national reporting regarding NAPLAN and also our financial and enrolment data. This information provides a telling picture of the nature of Catholic education and gives us the tools to focus our commitment to excellence, access and faith.
I hope all the excitement of the return to school settles well and your term is off to a great start.
Jacinta Collins
Executive Director
National Catholic Education Commission
Photo: First Commission meeting for 2026.