CEQL hosts inaugural Governance Symposium

Catholic Education Queensland Limited (CEQL) Board Chair Madeline Brennan KC has urged Queensland’s Catholic school leaders to see good governance not as a compliance burden but as a direct expression of their mission to students, families, and communities. 

Ms Brennan made the remarks at CEQL’s inaugural Governance Symposium in Brisbane on 25 March, bringing together school authority board members, executives, and sector leaders for a day focused on one of Catholic education’s most consequential responsibilities. 

The symposium was the first held under the CEQL banner since the organisation started operations on 1 January 2026. 

Ms Brennan opened by grounding delegates in the sector’s scale, spanning 22 school authorities, 313 schools, 22,000 staff and more than 167,000 students, and what that means for the decisions made around board tables. 

Pam Betts, Susan Pascoe AM, Trish Ridsdale and Archbishop Shane Mackinlay during the panel discussion at the inaugural CEQL Governance Symposium.

CEQL CEO Allan Blagaich gave the opening address before representatives from the Australian Government Department of Education outlined the funding framework for Queensland’s Catholic schools. 

A governance session featured three nationally respected voices: Trish Ridsdale on civil governance obligations; Brisbane Archbishop Shane Mackinlay on Church governance under canon law; and Adjunct Professor Susan Pascoe AM on the intersection of civil and Church governance. A panel discussion followed, chaired by Pam Betts, who led the governance review that resulted in CEQL’s formation. 

The afternoon featured the Chair of the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board Patrea Walton PSM presenting on the Risk-Based Accreditation Framework, and Emma White from the Queensland Family and Child Commission outlining the Reportable Conduct Scheme coming into effect for schools from 1 July 2026. 

The day closed with National Catholic Education Commission Executive Director Hon Scott Ryan speaking to the sector’s strategic direction.