Why the Conditions have been imposed

In the Notice shared by the VRQA on 30 January, it was explained that:

We have not demonstrated our obligations under the required Child Safe Standards (known as Ministerial Order 1359) or structured our governance in a way that allows us to meet our legal responsibilities, including providing a duty of care to students,
We have not complied with the agreed timelines relating to the completion of the 2020 enforceable undertakings,
The Trustees of EREA have not demonstrated appropriate oversight of child safety at Victorian schools, and
It is in the public interest to ensure that the Trustees of EREA comply with the Minimum Standards as a foundation for quality schools in Victoria.

The VRQA recognised EREA schools in Victoria have continued to deliver a child safe culture specific to their school environments.

Conditions of registration

The Catholic Education Commission of Victoria (CECV) is noted throughout these conditions because of its role as the review body for Catholic schools in Victoria.

In summary, the conditions require us to:

Make an application to Change the Proprietor of EREA schools in Victoria, and provide documentation that shows how the proposed new proprietors and governance structure will meet the Minimum Standards. For context, the process of changing the governance structure to a Limited Company has been a common practice amongst the Catholic Secondary Schools in Victoria over the past few years. For you as parents and carers, you will not notice much that is different at your school by this change.
- As part of Condition 1, we will be requesting that:
  - EREA Victorian Schools Ltd (a subsidiary company established by the Trustees of EREA) becomes the new proprietor of all Victorian schools except St Kevin’s College; and
  - St Kevin’s College Ltd (a subsidiary company established by the Trustees of EREA) becomes the new proprietor of St Kevin’s College.
Provide the VRQA and the CECV with details of all of the current agreements or arrangements where fees are charged to Victorian schools. This includes information on what goods, property or services are provided to the schools, proof that they are necessary and fair, and details of how fees were calculated and applied to each Victorian School. This was provided on 7 February 2023.
Ensure all Victorian schools take part in a review conducted by CECV within six months of any Change of Proprietor under Condition 1. If the review finds that the schools are not meeting the Minimum Standards, they must fix any issues within three months of the review.
Provide the VRQA with the Minutes from all EREA Council meetings and the EREA Board, as well as the governing body of any new proprietor approved by the VRQA under Condition 1. This practice has been in process since 2022.

What we are doing to meet the conditions

To meet the conditions outlined by the VRQA, we are working on the following:

Condition 1: We are in the process of developing all the relevant documents to show how EREA Victorian Schools Ltd and St Kevin’s College Ltd will be able to meet the Minimum Standards. We are on schedule to deliver this information by 14 March 2023.
Condition 2: On 7 February, we provided the VRQA and the CECV with details of all of the current agreements and arrangements where fees are charged to Victorian schools.
Condition 3: This condition will be complied with when the Change of Proprietor is approved by the VRQA.
Condition 4: We are continuing to provide the VRQA with the Minutes from all EREA Council meetings and the EREA Board. The Minutes of the new proprietors will be complied with when the Change of Proprietor is approved by the VRQA