The University of Notre Dame Australia is delighted to announce its sponsorship of the 2025 Australian Catholic Education Conference (2025ACEC) which is to be held at the newly refurbished Cairns Convention Centre in Far North Queensland from Wednesday 20 August to Friday 22 August 2025.
The conference, hosted by the National Catholic Education Commission (NCEC) and host diocese, Catholic Education Diocese of Cairns (CEDC), is set to attract around 1,500 delegates including Catholic educators, leaders, clergy, parents, and others involved in Catholic education.
Under the theme, ‘hope, anchored in faith,’ the conference aims to provide an engaging professional learning experience focused on the strategic vision and mission of Catholic education across three key areas – Faith, Excellence and Access.
2025ACEC will feature a broad range of speakers, as well as presentations and workshops focusing on topics such as Catholic identity, mission and formation; learning and teaching; leadership and governance; parent engagement; parish and community engagement, resourcing and infrastructure; advocacy and marketing; and more.
The University of Notre Dame Australia’s Vice Chancellor, Professor Francis Campbell expressed his pride in Notre Dame once again being a principal partner of this important conference.
‘“We are delighted to sponsor the 2025 Australian Catholic Education Conference and recognise its significant role in shaping the future of Catholic education in Australia,” he said.
“Following the tremendous success of 2022’s conference in Melbourne, we are thrilled to support this next event in Cairns.
“The conference, under the inspiring theme 'hope, anchored in faith,' will serve as a vital platform for educators, leaders, and the broader community to engage in meaningful discussion, share best practices and advance our shared mission.”
The NCEC is the peak body for Catholic education in Australia, representing the interests of Catholic schools, students, and staff at a national level.
Supporting 2025ACEC as principal partners alongside Notre Dame are UniSuper and Australian Catholic University who also partnered on the 2022 conference in Melbourne.
The Queensland Government has generously approved a tourism grant to support the conference being held in Far North Queensland.
About the Conference Artwork
The artwork of local First Nations artist Susan Reys, ‘Tenacious Dreaming’, is featured in the conference logo and branding. ‘Tenacious Dreaming’ represents the local Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people – the land on which the Catholic education conference will be hosted. The Southern Cross is featured around a central Cross representing Catholic education across Australia. The Southern Cross, also known as the Seven Sisters, is also an important directional tool for both Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures. The boomerang shape represents the Seven Sister mountain on the tablelands, and their spirit is now the constellation. The three message sticks represent the three lore of the First Nation peoples and the 10 dots represent the ten commandments of the Old Testament. The eight diamond shapes represent the shields of the eight Yidinji clan groups of the Cairns region.
Media Contact: media@nd.edu.au