Newman Catholic College is governed by Catholic Education Diocese of Cairns.

Catholic Education - Diocese of Cairns (CEDC) is a dynamic and growing organisation that is actively inviting schools to co-create with us, schools that are places of rich learning for now and into the 22nd Century.

Our vision is to offer every student in every school a world class education enriched by their lived encounter with the Catholic Faith.

CEDC is committed to this vision through Co-Leadership with schools to build communities of learning that provide a safe, nurturing and academically challenging environment. Our schools are places where we create opportunities for every student and every staff member so that they are inspired to contribute to our society, innovate, explore possibilities, and achieve excellence.

CEDC embraces thirty (30) schools including twenty (20) primary schools, two (2) Prep to Year 12 colleges and eight (8) secondary colleges. One of these colleges is a Special Assistance College with campuses in Cairns, Cooktown, and Edmonton. This community also includes Catholic Education Services located in Cairns itself. Over the next five years there are two new schools planned.

All schools and colleges, except three, are within a two-hour drive of Cairns. Cooktown, Waibeni Island (Thursday Island) and Weipa are accessed by daily flights and located in some of the most beautiful parts of the country. In total, there are 11,500 students and 1,500 staff.

Leadership and strategic management is the responsibility of the Executive Director of CEDC. Through a team of professionals, and in Co-Leadership with principals, the Executive Director manages and facilitates a number of significant delegations which include:

  • Support of the mission of the Church as delivered through Catholic Education
  • Support of schools by providing services that strengthen school capacity
  • Provision of leadership and forward planning to develop organisational capability
  • Distribution to schools of government allocated funds and their accountability
  • Monitoring quality of schools and compliance/accountability with requirements of governments, Church, and parents
  • Within limits, provision of some centralised, specialised student services, where this is the most effective and efficient approach