The Liberal Government has demonstrated an astonishing lack of care about children’s safety, joking about sport in State Parliament this morning instead of focussing on the damning report on the Tasmanian Department of Education’s Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
Labor Leader Rebecca White said the government attempted to distract from the Education Minister Sarah Courtney’s failures while the Premier was nowhere to be seen.
“It is bad enough that the government sat on this report for five months after it landed on Sarah Courtney’s desk,” Ms White said.
“But this morning in Question Time the behaviour of the government was a slap in the face to the brave people who came forward to tell their stories to the inquiry, and to all Tasmanian children and parents.
“The community could have expected to hear a Ministerial statement in Parliament today on such an important issue as the safety of our children, but that didn’t happen.
“And worse, the Premier preferred to talk about cricket than go anywhere near the subject of child safety.
“And, it is deeply concerning that Ms Courtney refuses to say whether all 21 people identified in the report as requiring a more detailed review or possible further investigation are still working in Tasmania’s schools.
“The fact that there are still children falling through the cracks in our education system, child protection system and youth justice system should be a matter of the highest priority for this government.”
Rebecca White MP
Tasmanian Labor Leader
