Editing Education in Australia (section)

==== Catholic schools ====
{{Main|Catholic education in Australia}}
[[File:St Mary's College, Hobart.jpg|thumb|[[St Mary's College, Hobart]], 2014. The college is affiliated with the [[Presentation Sisters]], a religious institute of the [[Roman Catholic Church in Australia|Catholic Church]].]]

The education system delivered by the [[Roman Catholic Church in Australia]] began in 1820 and has grown to be the second-biggest provider of school-based education in Australia.<ref name="NCEC facts"/> {{As of|2018}}, one in five Australian students attended Catholic schools.<ref name="NCEC facts"/><ref>{{citation|url=http://www.abs.gov.au/AUSSTATS/abs@.nsf/Previousproducts/9FA90AEC587590EDCA2571B00014B9B3?opendocument|title=4102.0 – Australian Social Trends, 2006|work=[[Australian Bureau of Statistics]]|publisher=Australian Government|date=2006|access-date=1 April 2014}}</ref> There are over 1,700 Catholic schools in Australia with more than 750,000 students enrolled, employing almost 60,000 teachers.<ref name="NCEC facts"/><ref>{{citation|url=https://www.ag.gov.au/Consultations/Documents/modern-slavery-in-supply-chains-reporting-requirement/Australian-catholic-bishops-conference.docx|title=Modern Slavery in Supply Chains Reporting Requirement|author=Australian Catholic Bishops Conference|access-date=21 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180321100052/https://www.ag.gov.au/Consultations/Documents/modern-slavery-in-supply-chains-reporting-requirement/Australian-catholic-bishops-conference.docx|archive-date=21 March 2018}}</ref>

Administrative oversight of Catholic education providers varies depending on the origins, ethos, and purpose of each education provider. Oversight of Catholic ''systemic'' schools may rest with a Catholic [[parish]], [[Diocese#Catholic Church|diocese, or archdiocese]];<ref name="NCEC facts"/> while [[religious institute]]s have oversight of Catholic ''independent'' schools.<ref name="NCEC-schools-review-2011"/>

The National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC), established by the [[Australian Catholic Bishops Conference]] through the Bishops Commission for Catholic Education, is tasked with maintaining liaison with the federal government and other key national education bodies and complements and supports the work of the state and territory Catholic education commissions.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.ncec.catholic.edu.au/|title=Australia's Peak Catholic Education Body|publisher=National Catholic Education Commission|date=n.d.|access-date=1 April 2014}}</ref> While some Catholic schools operate independently via religious institutes,<ref name="NCEC-schools-review-2011"/> the majority of Catholic schools, called ''systemic schools'',<ref name="NCEC facts"/> operate under the [[Canon Law]] jurisdiction of an ecclesiastical public juridic person, such as a [[Bishop (Catholic Church)|bishop]].<ref name="NCEC-governance">{{citation|url=https://www.ncec.catholic.edu.au/resources/publications/8-catholic-school-governance-may-2002/file|title=Catholic School Governance|publisher=National Catholic Education Commission|date=May 2002|access-date=12 August 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190811141754/https://www.ncec.catholic.edu.au/resources/publications/8-catholic-school-governance-may-2002/file|archive-date=11 August 2019|url-status=dead}}</ref>{{rp|7}} In practice, the bishop assigns a Catholic Education Office (CEO), Catholic Education Commission, Catholic Schools Offices, or a similar body<ref name="NCEC-governance"/>{{rp|4}} with daily operational responsibility for the leadership, efficient operation, and management of the Catholic systemic schools which educate in parish primary and regional secondary schools in Australia. These diocesan bodies are charged with the implementation and management of the policies of the diocese and the allocation and administration of the funds provided by the government and private sources to Catholic systemic schools, as well as the financial responsibilities for the administration of salaries for staff members.<ref>{{citation|url=http://www.ceosyd.catholic.edu.au/About/Pages/Home.aspx|title=About Us|work=Catholic Education Office Sydney|publisher=[[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Sydney]]|date=n.d.|access-date=1 April 2014|archive-date=7 April 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407074231/http://www.ceosyd.catholic.edu.au/About/Pages/Home.aspx|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Most Catholic schools (96 per cent) are ''systemically'' funded, meaning that the government funding they nominally attract is provided to the relevant state Catholic Education Commission for needs-based distribution. Sixty-one Australian Catholic schools are non-systemically funded (''independent'' schools) and receive government grants directly.<ref name="NCEC-schools-review-2011"/>