An independent school in Australia is one that is independent of direct state control.
In Australia the term "public school" is generally used to denote a state school, but confusingly, it is also used in the British English sense - meaning a prestigious privately funded school. This is particularly reflected in the names of associations of well-known independent schools in three Australian States - the Associated Public Schools of Victoria, the Athletic Association of the Great Public Schools of New South Wales and the Great Public Schools Association of Queensland Inc.[1] There are also schools in other States that would consider themselves "Public Schools" in this sense, even though the term is not necessarily used in the name of a formal association in that State.