The biggest scandals at Queensland’s elite private schools
From wild parties to privacy breaches and shocking sexism controversies, these are the biggest scandals that have rocked Queensland’s elite private schools.
Elite private schools across Queensland have been embroiled in many scandals over the years from a wild AirBNB party hosted by students, to degrading online lists targeting girls’ schools and privacy breaches.
We’ve gone back over the past 25 years to find the controversies that have rocked many of the state’s most prestigious schools.
BBC SNAPCHAT SCANDAL
Elite school Brisbane Boys’ College was engulfed in a Snapchat scandal in May this year.
Police were called after students shared “allegedly serious” nude images of children on social media platform Snapchat in a group chat.
The images were labelled “allegedly serious and potentially illegal”.
Brisbane Boys’ College headmaster Andre Casson at the time confirmed that parents had contacted the school over the “inappropriate and troubling material”.
Mr Casson said the matter was reported to police who were investigating.
EVENT CANCELLED OVER ‘DEGRADING’ VIDEO
Just last month, a sporting match between two top Brisbane private schools was scrapped after a “degrading and disgusting” online video emerged.
Netball matches between St Rita’s College and St Joseph’s Nudgee College were cancelled on May 30 due to a video that was allegedly created by Nudgee students.
“We are aware of a matter currently being investigated by St Joseph’s Nudgee College regarding the creation of a video by some of their students,” St Rita’s principal Maree Trims told The Courier-Mail at the time.
St Joseph’s Nudgee College principal Scott Thomson said the school was aware of a claim that an inappropriate video had been made by some students.
“Nudgee College immediately began to investigate this matter,” Mr Thomson said.
“The college learned that a video had been posted in a closed social media group involving college students.
“The behaviour did not meet the standards expected at this college.”
A parent said the video was seen by members of the girls’ netball teams.
OUT OF CONTROL AIRBNB PARTY
In April this year, Brisbane Boys’ College students threw a wild party at an Airbnb house in Brisbane, resulting in significant damage and a police investigation.
The party was booked under the guise of a family of five.
Footage captured by neighbours showed hundreds of revellers at the property, damaging the plumbing and throwing expensive appliances and a mower into the pool.
A16-year-old Kevin Grove boy and a 16-year-old Fig Tree Pocket boy were dealt with under the Youth Justice Act.
STUDENTS EXPELLED OVER RANKINGS LIST
In October 2024, three Year 10 boys from elite Gold Coast school Emmanuel College were expelled after a vulgar schoolgirls’ rankings list became public.
It is alleged the initial list rated girls by “best bottoms” before turning into a shocking so-called “rape list”.
Screenshots of the list had descriptions next to girls’ names and “why they were “rapeable”.
A female student from Somerset College who featured on the list said she felt “sick to my stomach when I saw the word rape”.
Police investigated the incident and no charges were laid.
A court heard in May 2025, that one of the three boys expelled from Emmanuel College had no involvement in the so-called “rape list”.
STUDENTS SENT HOME ACCUSED OF WHEELCHAIR THEFT
Three students from Ipswich Grammar School allegedly stole a wheelchair from a disabled man while on a rugby tour in Japan in September 2024.
An American man living in Japan was in the entertainment district of Kabukicho in Tokyo, when it is alleged that the trio took off with his wheelchair.
The victim shared a photo of the students to social media, in a bid to identify the culprits.
An Ipswich Grammar School spokeswoman confirmed it was aware of the incident and that the boys had been kicked off the tour to Japan.
CHRISTIAN COLLEGE ENROLMENT CONTROVERSY
Citipointe Christian College was embroiled in controversy in January 2022 after issuing an enrolment contract that discriminated against gay and transgender students.
The contract contained statements from the Christian Outreach Centre’s ‘Declaration of Faith’ document, describing homosexuality as “sinful and offensive to God” and “destructive to human relationships and society”.
The contract was sent out by then principal, Pastor Brian Mulheran, then withdrawn in early February 2022 after community feedback.
Pastor Mulheran resigned as principal on March 31, 2022.
A group of parents took offence to the contract and commenced action under the Anti-Discrimination Act 1991 of Queensland.
In June 2024, Citipointe Christian College issued an ‘expression of regret’ and reached a settlement with a parent over the controversial contract.
The college also reviewed its policies and training.
ABORTION ROW BETWEEN STUDENTS
Two of Brisbane’s top private schools were in 2021 embroiled in a social media row, after a male student accused those at a girls’ school of having abortions. A senior student at St Joseph’s College Gregory Terrace posted a meme to Instagram showing a soldier defending “innocent unborn babies” from All Hallows’ Girls.
The post, and another made by the same student about the brain development of a foetus, attracted hundreds of comments from students.
Ultimately, the social media posts were deleted.
‘GOD HATES HOMOSEXUALS’ BOOK SCANDAL
In 2020 it emerged that Moreton Bay Boys’ College students were being taught from an inflammatory book suggesting ‘God hates homosexuals’ and being gay could be a result of poor parenting and childhood sexual abuse.
Controversial sex education book – The Teen Sex By the Book – was a requirement on the booklist for Year 10 students at the college in Manly Wes.
The 64-page book was written by Belinda Elliott as a companion to a paperback authored by doctor-turned-sexologist Patricia Weerakoon.
The book contained alarming content including how LGBTIQA+ youth can “successfully” become heterosexual and describes people with ambiguous genitalia as “freaks”.
Students were asked to consider statements, including “God hates homosexuals”, before reading excerpts.
A mother of a Year 10 student said the book was “homophobic and incites hate”.
Moreton Bay Boys College defended its use of the handbook at the time, with head of college Andrew Holmes stating that it contained “thought-provoking statements used as a springboard for discussion”.
The book was removed from the school curriculum the following year.
WANGA-GATE AT BBC
A top rowing coach at Brisbane Boys’ College was sacked after an alleged sex talk with students about twirling their ‘wangas’, before winning a legal battle to clear his name after it was found he did nothing wrong.
David Bellamy allegedly told students during a sex talk not to twirl their “wangas” – a slang phrase for penises – before he allegedly waved his hand in front of his trousers in 2014.
Mr Bellamy was sacked over the alleged incident by-then headmaster Graeme McDonald.
It is understood Mr Bellamy struggled after the alleged reason behind his dismissal became widely known.
Following the scandal, Mr Bellamy lodged a $1.1m court claim against the Presbyterian and Methodist Schools’ Association.
In 2019, the BBC and the PMSA admitted that Mr Bellamy, who was sacked over the alleged incident, had done nothing wrong.
Mr Bellamy won the five-year legal battle to clear his name against the PMSA and received a confidential settlement north of $1m.
ANGLICAN’S COLLEGE CHEATING SCANDAL
An elite Brisbane private school was rocked by an exam cheating scandal in November 2022, with the principal at the time denying the students escaped punishment.
A group of year nine students at Cannon Hill Anglican College reportedly cheated on a science exam.
The college’s assistant principal at the time sent an e-mail to parents informing them that part of its Year 9 cohort had cheated on a science exam.
According to the emails, students had shared information from the end of semester science exam with fellow classmates who had yet to sit the exam.
The cheating incident happened after information from the exam was collated and sent out to students in a document by email.
At the time, Cannon Hill Anglican College principal Gary O’Brien issued a statement confirming the cheating incident and that the matter was resolved with the majority of parents supportive of the process.
However, a family of a student at the school accused the college of failing to discipline those that cheated.
It is understood that students who admitted to opening the document sat another exam at a later date.
X-RATED PARTY VIDEO
An elite female private school was under fire in November 2024 over an explicit video of a graduating student wearing clothing branded with the words “Catholic sl*t!”
Videos posted online by graduating students from All Hallows’ School at a full-year party in Brisbane, shows a student wearing pants adorned with the phrase ‘Catholic slut!’ while fellow students were motioning to bite and lick near the student.
In other videos widely shared on Instagram, the students are seen grinding up against one another while waving alcoholic drinks and bottles of wine.
The students, including some who held leadership roles, were wearing outfits that were crafted by cutting up their school uniforms.
The school’s principal Catherine O’Keane issued a statement to parents and caregivers after the videos were widely circulated.
“We are very disappointed in the behaviour which is captured in these images as it does not reflect our values,” she said.
“The images were taken at a private event after the students had graduated from our school.”
PMSA’S NUDE SPA PRIVACY BREACH
A powerful church body responsible for overseeing four of Queensland’s most elite private schools was involved in an explosive scandal over an alleged privacy breach in 2017 involving nude spa visits and lewd text messages.
The Presbyterian and Methodist Schools’ Association owns four schools including Brisbane Boys’ College, Clayfield College, Somerville House and Sunshine Coast Grammar School.
The scandal emerged when the download of confidential information was disclosed to Somerville House Foundation.
It is understood the reported data breach involved taking information from the school’s hard drives relating to donors, including their names, addresses and donation amounts.
It was later revealed that PMSA executive manager Rick Hiley admitted to the mass download of documents and was accused of organising meetings with former PMSA chairman and police inspector Robert McCall at the nude Korean bathhouse during school hours.
The foundation then demanded an audit which revealed the “unauthorised retrieval and removal” of more than 10,000 files.
Conducted by Somerville House Council, the audit revealed text messages between the two PMSA officials in which they discuss having “covert” meetings in a nude bathhouse to discuss “secret men’s business”.
“Would you like to be radical and finally go over to the spa which is not far from your office?” texted Inspector McCall.
“I’m happy to go to the spa — I’m a prude when it comes to public nudity though,’’ replied Mr Hiley.
Following the audit, the PMSA was sent legal letters from the foundation through law firm Brown Wright Stein that suggested possible breaches of the privacy act, fiduciary duties, and corporate governance.
In a shock move, the then principal of Somerville House Flo Kearney, who was overseeing the investigations into the security breach, was seen to resign over the scandal, after an alleged cover-up by the peak church body of the “unauthorised” downloading of thousands of confidential files of some of Queensland’s most prominent identities. However, it was later revealed Ms Kearney was stood down and ordered off the campus by the PMSA.
Parents of students who attended PMSA schools demanded an independent inquiry into the alleged cover-up of the privacy breach scandal but were later told by the Uniting Church there was “no plan for an inquiry”.
TERRACE ROCKED BY RACISM ALLEGATIONS
In 2021, prestigious Brisbane boys private school was rocked by allegations of students harassing female teachers, exhibiting racist behaviour, and watching porn on school buses.
The allegations were investigated after an anonymous complaint was lodged to the Non-State Schools Accreditation Board regarding alleged incidents that had taken place at the school.
Sources close to the school told The Courier-Mail of at least two incidents where senior students had exposed themselves or propositioned a female member of staff.
It was also alleged racial tensions were brewing among students after a shocking image of two boys imitating the death of African-American man George Floyd emerged in 2020.
There were also claims students were regularly watching porn and vaping on unsupervised bus trips.
MASS EXODUS FROM ALL HALLOWS
In 2023, claims emerged of students with learning and behavioural issues being discriminated against at All Hallows’ School, causing a “mass exodus of students” from the prestigious girls.
According to parents of students, the school seemed to give less favourable treatment to students with ADHD, anxiety, and dyslexia.
Parents also claimed students with poor grades “don’t fit the school’s image”.
It led to some parents withdrawing their children from the school.
It is understood some teachers who were at the school at the time quit their jobs over the alleged discrimination.
In a statement responding to the allegations, the acting principal of All Hallows’ School Carolyn Liddy said the school “does not discriminate against students on any basis”.
“All Hallows’ School does not discriminate against students on any basis, including their learning abilities,” she said.
“Our responses to matters involving student behaviour are consistent with our Mercy ethos and values.
“We have clearly established behaviour policies, procedures and guidelines and any response is in accordance with these policies and procedures.”
SMASH OR PASS SAGA
St Rita’s College and St Joseph’s Nudgee College were embroiled in a ‘smash or pass’ rating scandal, after a Year 8 St Rita’s student shared individual photos of her entire class with a Nudgee boy in 2024.
St Rita’s Deputy Principal Catherine Allen confirmed the incident and issued a letter to parents, detailing that their daughters’ images had been “shared with another school”.
Nudgee College principal Scott Thomson confirmed that photos had been shared with a student at the school, but dismissed allegations that the photos were shared on a social media platform.
Parents of students from both schools were outraged by the incident.
A St Rita’s parent said he was “sickened” to learn his daughter’s identity and school had been shared online.
It is understood the Year 8 girl who shared images of her cohort was suspended for one day.
Students at Nudgee College at the time expressed their genuine remorse at sharing the photos and the material shared was removed from devices.
CHURCHIE UNDER FIRE
Anglican Church Grammar School was under fire after a senior student at the school in 2019 wrote and distributed a document for students who had not attended an optional tutoring program for the QCS test.
Test scores from a student cohort contribute to a shared result which provides scaling to determine overall position (OP) results.
Parents of students at the school criticised the “stay away” request as unethical, discriminatory and against the values espoused by the college of turning out well-rounded gentlemen.
The school’s headmaster Alan Campbell condemned the circulation of the “unauthorised document”.
From 2020, the OP rank was replaced with the Australian Tertiary Admission Rank (ATAR).
