Cairns hosts Australia’s largest conference of Catholic educational leaders

More than 1,400 Catholic educators and leaders will gather in Cairns this week for the 2025 Australian Catholic Education Conference.

Hosted by Catholic Education Diocese of Cairns, it is the first time this conference has ever been held outside a capital city, and will be based at the Cairns Convention Centre from Wednesday 20 to Friday 22 August.

National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) Executive Director Jacinta Collins said the conference is the largest gathering of Catholic Education leaders, principals, clergy and religious, board members and parents in Australasia.

“We are delighted to be partnering with Catholic Education Diocese of Cairns for our triennial conference this year, especially after such a strong turnout and engagement for the last conference in Melbourne in 2022,” Ms Collins said.

“This year’s theme, ‘hope, anchored in faith’, reflects our deep commitment to the mission and strategic vision of Catholic education, grounded in our three strategic priorities: Faith, Excellence and Access”.

The three-day program will feature more than 70 keynote addresses, panel discussions, workshops and masterclasses. Key themes include Catholic identity, mission and formation; learning and teaching; leadership and governance; parent, parish and community engagement; resourcing and infrastructure; advocacy and marketing; and more.

The conference will open with an address from NCEC Chair Nicholas Moore AO. He will be joined in welcoming delegates by Queensland Assistant Minister for Tourism, Early Learning, Creative Industries and Far North Queensland, and Member for Barron River, Bree James MP.

On Thursday, Federal Education Minister Jason Clare MP will join Archbishop of Sydney, Anthony Fisher OP, for an In Conversation discussion.

“We are pleased to welcome Minister Clare and Archbishop Fisher for an engaging discussion on the contribution of Catholic education in Australia, including our involvement in contributing to the national reform agenda,” Ms Collins said.

Keynote speakers include:

• Sr Nathalie Becquart, General Undersecretary for the Synod of Bishops at the Vatican, and the first woman to be admitted as a voting member of the Synod, who will deliver the opening keynote.
• Professor Dylan Wiliam, Emeritus Professor of Educational Assessment at the UCL Institute of Education, who will present on equitable educational improvement, lead masterclasses on school accountability and teacher development, and deliver a full-day workshop on Assessment of, for, and as Learning.
• Dr Steve Constantino, Executive Professor at William & Mary’s School of Education and a nationally recognised expert in family engagement, who will lead a keynote and two masterclasses on family engagement.
• Dr Simon Breakspear, founder of Strategic Schools, who will deliver the Closing Keynote and lead sessions on strategic subtraction and the Teaching Sprints approach.
• Dr Jordana Hunter, Education Program Director at Grattan Institute, who will present an Ed Talk on the power of quality-assured curriculum materials to lift learning, reduce workload, and build teacher expertise and offer a workshop on the Maths Guarantee.
  

Catholic Diocese of Cairns Bishop Joe Caddy AM said he was confident delegates would be uplifted by the impressive line-up of speakers.

“I really commend it to all attending and hope that they feel renewed and encouraged in their mission within our Catholic schools,” he said.

Catholic Education Diocese of Cairns Executive Director Durm O’Riordan said this is the first time the conference will be held in a regional area and the diocese is proud to co-host the event and welcome participants from across the country, New Zealand, Oceania, Canada and the United States.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to showcase the unique character and contribution of Catholic education in Far North Queensland,” Mr O’Riordan said.

“I’m particularly pleased that our students will have the opportunity to participate and engage in the conference through a student panel with Bishop Joe and participate in a formation session and large-scale Mass in the Arena which will include a 400 student choir, 1,400 delegates and over 800 students attending from schools across Far North Queensland, including Waiben and Weipa,” he said.

Catholic school students from across Australia have also contributed over 100 artworks for display at the conference and sent video messages for a special Speaking to Country video at the opening plenary, which will also feature a dance by students from the Torres Strait and Welcome to Country by Traditional Owners from the Yidinji Nation.

For those unable to attend in person, an on-demand ticket is available giving access to keynote sessions and professional learning content for three months after the conference.