The Victorian Institute of Teaching Council (the Council) appointed in May this year held its fourth meeting on 15 October 2025 and publishes this communique setting out a summary of the matters considered.

The meeting opened with an Acknowledgement of Country led by Council member Brenden Morris who reflected on the role teachers have with students in creating an understanding of the traditions and history of First Nations peoples.

The Council welcomed the independent chair of its Audit Risk Management and Finance Committee (the Committee) Ms Eva Tsahuridu to the meeting.  Eva stayed to observe the full Council meeting and addressed the Council on the work the Committee did on Council’s behalf. Eva said the Committee was very interested to find out from Council members how it might fully understand Council’s requirements of the Committee. Eva sought feedback from members of Council about whether the work of the Committee met Council’s expectations. Council members expressed great satisfaction with the quality and timeliness of the reports they received from the committee. Eva said the Committee saw its role as ensuring that the systems and controls are suitable and effective for the organisation.

This meeting also saw Council consider and adopt the audited financial statements for the year ending 30 June 2025. The Victorian Auditor General’s Office issued a closing statement confirming that there were no material or immaterial statements identified. The Council congratulated the finance team for its excellent work. The financial statements will be included in the Annual Report for 2025.

Council reviewed its strategic plan at a recent workshop and received a report of the outcomes which considered issues such the Council’s regulatory governance role, risk oversight and its communication and engagement strategy with the community and the profession. Council will now develop actions to improve reporting and monitoring of progress against its strategic objectives.

The Council reviewed and endorsed the draft Annual Report noting the rich data it contains. There are 155,937 registered teachers. Of those 74% are women and 32% were born overseas. The report will be tabled in the Victorian Parliament in the near future.

The Council settled its meeting schedule for 2026. It intends to hold at least one meeting in the community later next year.

A scheduled internal audit of Council’s Governance Framework suggested improvements to the appointment process to ensure appropriate continuity, aspects of its committee structure and processes for ongoing reflection and evaluation of meeting effectiveness, all of which were accepted by Council.

Council considered and approved its Child Safety and Wellbeing Framework and its suitability to Teach Policy. These are key governance documents to ensure it meets its obligation to consider child safety and wellbeing in the context of community expectations. This work commenced well before the recent attention to non-registered educators in the early childhood sector and reflects the importance of these issues for the community.

Dale Pearce
Chairperson

Council membership

• Dale Pearce – Chairperson: a former principal in the state education sector;
• Kate Fogarty – Deputy Chairperson: a regional director in the Catholic education system;
• David Baker: a school principal in the independent sector;
• Joanna Garner: a teacher in the early childhood sector;
• Lisa Holt: a current principal in the state education sector;
• Sharelle Knight: a leader in the early childhood sector;
• Larissa McLean Davies: a nominee of the Victorian Council of Deans of Education;
• Sarah McNicol: the nominee of the Secretary of the Department of Education;
• Brenden Morris: a teacher in the independent education sector;
• Mary-Anne Pontikis: a teacher in the state education sector;
• Gabrielle Steward: a teacher in the state education sector;
• Raelene Vine: a nominee of parents;
• Eve Ward: a teacher in the state education sector; and
• Graeme Young: a teacher in the independent education sector.