Independent Public Schools (IPS) refers to an education reform first introduced in Western Australia in 2009 by the state's Department of Education.[1] An independent public school is a state/public school that, while a part of the state education system, has been granted a higher degree of decision-making authority than a regular, non-independent state school. The term, Independent Public School, has been increasingly used by other state governments in Australia, such as Queensland, to label similar reforms to the governance of their state schools.[2] Federal Australian governments also use the term Independent Public Schools. In February 2014 the Federal Education Minister, Christopher Pyne, announced a $70 million Independent Public Schools Initiative to support 1,500 state schools across Australia to become more autonomous.[3]