Teachers Registration Act 2000 Review

Regulation by Government protects and benefits people. It is one of the key ways in which the Tasmanian Government can support the community and deliver its response to the Commission of Inquiry into the Tasmanian Government’s Response to Child Sexual Abuse in Institutional Settings (Commission of Inquiry).

Tasmania has four education regulators that impact:

• the quality of our learners’ experience
• how student learning is assessed and recognised
• the quality and safety of learning environments
• the extent to which learners are participating and engaged in learning pathways.

The Teachers Registration Board is responsible for registering teachers and ensuring teachers are of good character, competent, and fit to teach in Tasmanian schools.

The Board is accountable to the Minister for Education and is governed by a skills-based board. It is supported by an office of staff provided by the Department for Education, Children and Young People.

What does the Teachers Registration Act currently do?

The Teachers Registration Act 2000 (the Act) was introduced to regulate the teaching profession in Tasmania. It established the Teachers Registration Board and its key powers and functions. The Act provides minimum professional standards for Tasmanian teachers and requires the Board to consider the welfare and best interests of students to be of paramount importance when performing its functions and exercising its powers.

Why review the Act?

Since the Act’s first introduction in 2000, much has changed, including:

• The Commission of Inquiry, which highlighted the need for the Act to better protect Tasmanian children and young people in schools. It set out issues and limitations with the current Act and recommended changes. The Tasmanian Government has committed to implementing these recommendations by 2026.
• The introduction of the Framework for Teacher Registration in Australia, outlining a nationally consistent approach to the registration of teachers across areas like professional standards and development requirements.
• A national commitment to the registration of teachers in early childhood education and care (ECEC) settings through the National Early Childhood Education and Care Workforce Strategy and subsequent Review of Child Safety Arrangements, that endorsed teacher registration in ECEC as a key mechanism to enhance child safety.
• A more comprehensive national evidence base showing more Tasmanian students come from disadvantaged backgrounds than their national counterparts, with consequently lower levels of attendance, literacy and numeracy.
• The Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and the Commission of Inquiry providing us with a much deeper understanding of how to make our institutions safe for children and young people.
• The release of the Productivity Commission Inquiry Report A path to universal early childhood education and care (September 2024).
• The update of the Education Act 2016 and the Review of Education Regulation, making recommendations and implementing legislation that reflects changes in contemporary understanding of best practice regulation to deliver outcomes.

The review of the Act represents the next step in modernising education regulation in Tasmania, redesigning it to better meet the needs of children and young people, keep them safe and prepare them for the future. This follows the creation of the Education Act 2016 and the Review of Education Regulation.

What is the objective of the review?

The objective is to review the Teachers Registration Act 2000 and make recommendations to ensure:

• children are safe while they learn
• teachers, including those in ECEC, are high quality and meet professional standards
• the legislative framework reflects modern regulatory practice and is fit-for-purpose.

The review will be overseen by a Steering Committee which collectively has the following skills and experience:

• An independent chair with knowledge of the subject matter, skills and expertise in the preparation of legislation, government policy development and government risk appetite
• A representative from each education sector who can bring skills and expertise from their sector but will have an outcome-focused approach and the ability to collaborate with other Steering Committee members
• A representative with skills and expertise in regulation including delivery of an outcomes-based approach to regulation.

A Project Team from the Department for Education, Children and Young People will support the Review and the Steering Committee.

Consultation on the Discussion Paper was open from 7 March 2025 to 12 April 2025.

During this time, the Discussion Paper and information regarding the Review was provided to:

• the Teachers Registration Board (TRB)
• teachers and educators across all educational sectors (government, non-government schools and ECEC)
• employers across all educational sectors (government, non-government and early childhood education and care)
• education regulators (including the Education and Care Unit in DECYP) 3
• professional associations and unions
• national statutory authorities and bodies – these include the Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership (AITSL), the Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority (ACECQA) and the Australian Skills and Quality Authority (ASQA)
• the general public through publication on the Review website and via social media
• the media and public via press release
• community groups, advocacy groups and peak bodies • academic institutions including the University of Tasmania
• other government agencies
• Aboriginal organisations.

Face-to-face briefings were offered to all stakeholders during this period.

In total, the Steering Committee received 18 written responses as well as 85 responses to online questionnaires. The project team held 18 face-to-face sessions across the state with key stakeholders. Submissions we invaluable in developing the Review’s Final Report.

Submissions to the Discussion Paper
In accordance with the Tasmanian Government Public Submissions Policy, all submissions to the Discussion Paper are considered public information and are provided below :

• Peter Underwood Centre Submission – Teachers Registration Act Review Discussion Paper – April 2025
• Institute of Public Affairs Submission – Teachers Registration Act Review Discussion Paper – April 2025
• Laurel House Submission – Teachers Registration Act Review Discussion Paper – April 2025
• Teachers Registration Board Submission – Teachers Registration Act Review Discussion Paper – April 2025
• Australian Education Union Submission – Teachers Registration Act Review Discussion Paper – April 2025
• Unsigned – Submission – Teachers Registration Act Review Discussion Paper – March 2025
• Independent Schools Tasmania Submission – Teachers Registration Act Review Discussion Paper – April 2025
• Tasmanian Association of State School Organisations Submission – Teachers Registration Act Review Discussion Paper – April 2025
• Australian Institute for Teaching and School Leadership Submission – Teachers Registration Act Review Discussion Paper – April 2025
• Amalea Smolcic Submission – Teachers Registration Act Review Discussion Paper – April 2025
• Education and Care Unit Stakeholder Reference Group Submission – Teachers Registration Act Review Discussion Paper – April 2025
• Australian Children’s Education and Care Quality Authority Submission – Teachers Registration Act Review Discussion Paper – April 2025

Following Consultation in March 2025, The Minister for Education, Jo Palmer MLC, released the Final Report from the Teachers Registration Act Review Steering Committee in December 2025.

Key Recommendations

The Final Report makes recommendations to ensure children are safe while learning, teachers (including early childhood educators) are high quality and meet professional standards and the law is modern and effective. The report recommends:

• Making the move from provisional to full registration simpler, giving teachers back more time for teaching.
• Expanding Commission of Inquiry protections for children to cover all forms of abuse, ensuring our children and young people are safer.
• Registering university-qualified early childhood teachers in ECEC settings alongside school teachers, recognising the important role they play in teaching our youngest children.
• Aligning with national standards by:
  • Requiring 100 hours of professional development every 5 years, formalising the work teachers are already doing to maintain currency of professional knowledge
  • Requiring provisional teachers to gain full registration within 5 years (with exceptions), recognising the initial period of registration as a period of learning and support for our teachers.
  • Providing for a ‘non-practicing’ category of registration, giving fully registered teachers the flexibility to maintain their registration while they aren’t in direct teaching roles.
• Assisting teachers to move to the new legislative framework, by deeming experienced provisionally registered teachers, or experienced teachers in non-school settings, fully registered – provided they meet set criteria.
• Updating the law to support modern regulation.

The Department for Education, Children and Young People is working to implement the recommendations, including changes to legislation with legislation expected to be introduced in parliament in 2026

The Final Report can be found here along with What we Heard Report (child friendly version).

• Communiqué – Steering Committee Meetings 1- 4 (PDF, 180KB)
• Communiqué – Steering Committee Meeting 5 (PDF, 206KB)
• Communiqué – Steering Committee Meeting 6 (PDF, 232KB)
• Communiqué – Steering Committee Meeting 7 (PDF, 234KB)
• Communiqué – Steering Committee Meeting 8 (PDF, 234 KB)