Australian archbishop's plan bolsters Catholic identity at new schools

May 31, 2007 / 08:51 am

Archbishop Adrian Doyle of Hobart has confirmed plans for a new $12-million Catholic high school in Kingston that would introduce a new policy requiring at least 75 percent of the students be Catholic.

St. Aloysius Catholic College, set to open in 2009, would be the first school to operate with the new 75-percent policy, which he said, would ensure a "very strong Catholic ethos and vision" in the schools.

The archbishop said about 40 percent of the current student population in Tasmanian Catholic schools is not Catholic.

The new policy will require an exemption under Tasmania's Anti-Discrimination Act, which the State Government will consider later this year. It would be slowly rolled out across the state.

The new school will also meet the growing demand for Catholic education in the region. Other Catholic high schools have either had to turn students away or squeeze them in, taking in students beyond their usual capacity.

"The establishment of this new Catholic College, which will be an extension of the existing St Aloysius Primary School, will be a wonderful opportunity to provide Catholic Education at the secondary level to the growing number of students who live in the Kingborough area," Archbishop Doyle said in a statement.

The new co-ed school will be a “green building” built on church-owned vacant land. It will operate with solar power and have efficient water use.

St. Aloysius Catholic College will be able to accommodate 360 students and have a strong emphasis on performing arts.