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Home education

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Important information about the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006

A Bill has just been introduced to the Queensland Parliament proposing a number of amendments to some of the home education provisions in the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006 (The Act). Read about how these proposed amendments may lead to some different requirements and responsibilities around home education below.

Surrendering registration—upgrade system

You can now surrender your child's registration for home education by using a simple online form. Find out more about surrendering registration on the registration page.

Home education research

Read about the findings of the home education market research and social media analysis below.

The Education (General Provisions) Act 2006 allows parents to choose to educate their children at home. There are 2 types of registration that parents can choose from:

  • registration—a long term registration, including program and reporting requirements
  • provisional registration—a short-term, 60-day registration.

To be home educated, a child must be registered by the Chief Executive, Department of Education through the department's Home Education Unit (HEU).

To be eligible for registration for home education, a child must:

  • be at least 5 years and 6 months old and less than 18 years old on 31 December in the year the child's registration takes effect
  • not be enrolled in a school.​
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Contact us

 

Phone
(07) 3513 6755
1800 677 176

 
 
Street address
Education House
30 Mary Street
BRISBANE QLD 4000
 
Postal address
PO Box 3710
SOUTH BRISBANE
BC QLD 4101

Important information about the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006

A Bill has just been introduced to the Queensland Parliament proposing a number of amendments to some of the home education provisions in the Education (General Provisions) Act 2006 (The Act).

These proposed amendments may lead to some different requirements and responsibilities around home education.

What I need to know

The Education (General Provisions) and Other Legislation Amendment Bill 2024 and the explanatory notes are available for you to view from the committees page on the Queensland Parliament website.

The next step is for the Bill to be considered by a parliamentary committee—the Education, Employment, Training and Skills Committee.

The parliamentary committee consults publicly, so if you have any feedback about the Bill, you should contact them directly using the information and instructions on the committee's page.

You can subscribe to the parliamentary committee's page for updates.

It's important to know that these changes won't happen straight away.

After the parliamentary committee reports on its consideration of the Bill, the amendments in the Bill must be debated and passed by Parliament.

Some of the provisions will take effect soon after this (provisions that 'commence on assent'), and others may take up to 12 months to commence (provisions that 'commence by proclamation').

If you would like to find out more about the steps involved in changing a law, you may read the Queensland Parliament fact sheet (PDF, 590KB).

What I need to do

For now, nothing will change. If your child is currently registered for home education, you should continue to provide their educational program and report on their progress as you usually would.

The Home Education Unit will continue to process new applications for home registration using our existing system until any changes come into effect.

The department will review and update our processes and templates in preparation for the changes. We will communicate with you in a timely way about any new or revised processes, before they come into effect.

Please keep your contact details up to date and check the information on this page regularly for updates.

Home education research

In 2022, the Department of Education commissioned research to better understand the factors influencing families' decisions about home education. Of the 6,016 parents registered for home education that were surveyed, 565 parents responded. A social media analysis to identify the key themes and engagement topics posted was also undertaken.

The research insight report and social media insight report are now available.

Community support groups

The Home Education Association Inc. Australia (HEA)

The HEA is a national not-for-profit, incorporated membership association serving Australian home educated children and young people since 2001. Its mission is to promote and support the practice of home education across Australia and to advance educational equity for members. Contact the HEA Support Helpline weekdays on 1300 729 991 or by email at heaqsupport@hea.edu.au.

Useful links

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Last updated 08 March 2024