The Minister for Education has signalled his intention to introduce legislation that will force public schools in NSW to comply with the same registration standards currently enforced on private schools. Mr Piccoli said in the Sydney Morning Herald that ‘as Minister for Education for all NSW schools, it makes sense that the same standards are met by all schools in NSW’. Public schools will be independently assessed by the Board of Studies, and will also be subject to random audits.

Minister Piccoli indicated that the move was in part driven by a need to ensure that public schools were compliant with relevant laws, such as local planning laws. He stated that the new process would also ensure that public schools are keeping student records up to date, and that all mandatory qualification and child protection checks were being carried out. The scheme is being aimed to be implemented by the end of 2015.