National Curriculum Board

Board membership
Meeting schedule
Office of the Board
Board member's login

Board membership

The Interim National Curriculum Board was announced in February 2008 and held its first meeting on 23 April 2008.

Chair

Professor Barry McGaw AO, PhD

Professor Barry McGaw Professor Barry McGaw is half-time Director of the Melbourne Education Research Institute at the University of Melbourne and a consultant.

Prior to returning to Australia at the end of 2005, he was Director for Education at the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). He had earlier been Executive Director of the Australian Council for Educational Research (ACER), Professor of Education at Murdoch University, Head of the Research and Curriculum Branch in the Queensland Department of Education and, originally, a science teacher in Queensland secondary schools. He holds BSc, DipEd and BEd(Hons) degrees from the University of Queensland and EdM and PhD from the University of Illinois.

Professor McGaw is a Fellow of the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia, the Australian Psychological Society, the Australian College of Educators and the International Academy of Education. He has been President of the Australian Association for Research in Education, the Australian Psychological Society, the Australian College of Educators and the International Association for Educational Assessment.

He received an Australian Centenary Medal in 2003 and was appointed an Officer in the Order of Australia in 2004. He was the 2005–2006 recipient of University of Illinois Alumni Award for Exceptional Achievement

Deputy Chair

Tony Mackay   Tony Mackay

Tony Mackay is Director of the Centre for Strategic Education, Melbourne, Australia; Deputy Chair of the recently announced National Curriculum Board; President of the Australian Curriculum Studies Association; Board Director of the Australian Council for Educational Research; Board Member of the University of Melbourne, Faculty of Education; and Australian College of Educators 2006 medallist.

Internationally, Tony Mackay is President-elect of the International Council for School Effectiveness and Improvement (ICSEI); founding member of the Governing Council of the National College for School Leadership in England; Chair of the Board of Directors of the Innovation Unit Ltd, England; OECD Senior Consultant for Projects on Schooling For Tomorrow, Leadership and New Models of Learning; and a DEMOS International Associate.

He is currently working on ‘Next Practice Projects’ on public sector reform with an emphasis on education in Australia/New Zealand, UK, Europe, US/Canada, and Asia.

Tony’s work focuses on strategic thinking and facilitation for Government bodies, education agencies and think tanks.

Interim Board membership

  • Tom Alegounarias, Chief Executive, New South Wales Institute of Teachers
  • Kim Bannikoff, Director, Queensland Studies Authority
  • Brian Croke, Executive Director, Catholic Education Commission, New South Wales
  • Janet Davy, Deputy Chief Executive, Australian Capital Territory Department of Education and Training
  • Marie Emmitt, Dean of Faculty of Education, Australian Catholic University
  • John Firth, Chief Executive Officer, Victorian Curriculum and Assessment Authority
  • David Hanlon, former Deputy Secretary, Tasmanian Department of Education
  • Rita Henry, Executive Director, Innovation and Change, Department of Education and Training
  • Garry Le Duff, Executive Director, Association of Independent Schools of South Australia
  • Bill Louden, Dean of Education, University of Western Australia
  • Helen Wildash, Executive Director, Curriculum, South Australian Department of Education and Children's Services

The National Curriculum Board is supported by a small independent office comprising personnel from across Australia.