The Education Standards and Registration Board Bill 2026 has been passed by Parliament today.
The merging of the Northern Territory Board of Studies and the Teacher Registration Board will remove current duplications across the existing boards and improve regulatory efficiency.
This reform is a governance and efficiency reform; there will be no changes to teacher registration or NT Certificate of Education and Training requirements.
The Finocchiaro CLP Government has today passed the Education Standards and Registration Board Bill 2026, which will merge the Northern Territory Board of Studies (NTBOS) and the Teacher Registration Board (TRB).
The new independent statutory board, the ‘Education Standards and Registration Board’, will eliminate duplications across the existing boards, creating an efficient and effective regulatory system.
There are provisions in the Bill that protect the independence of the Board and forbids the Minister from giving direction on an authorised person or teacher, an applicant, complaint, investigation, enquiry, or disciplinary action the board may undertake.
The key features of the new board are:
The Board requires expertise across areas including the education system, school and student performance, teaching and learning practice, workforce development, law or regulatory practice, and corporate governance.
Establishes a skills-based governing body supported by the requirement to consult, select committees and specialist advisers.
Provides clearer accountability and enables routine functions to be undertaken more efficiently.
Establishes a contemporary statutory framework focused on quality education, high teaching standards and improved outcomes for students across the Northern Territory.
There will not be a reduction in the staff supporting the two boards, current staff will transition to support the new board.
The Bill does not weaken teacher registration, lower professional teaching standards, reduce the protections teacher registration provides for children, change the requirements that a person must satisfy to become or remain a registered teacher, or change the requirements for the Northern Territory Certificate of Education and Training.
Minister for Education and Training, Jo Hersey, said the new Board will support high quality educational outcomes across the Territory.
“This reform is a governance and efficiency reform,” she said.
“There will be no changes to teacher registration or NT Certificate of Education and Training requirements.
“Our teachers are the best in the Country, and this new board will allow them to focus on delivering quality education in our classrooms and be supported by an efficient and effective regulatory system.”
Implementation of the new arrangements will occur from 1 February 2027 and the NTBOS and TRB will continue to operate and perform their statutory functions throughout the transition period.
