Premier Rockliff’s minority Liberal government is planning on cutting Tasmania’ education system back to the bone to pay for their budget disaster and years of financial mismanagement.
The Education Department is being forced to cut more than $80 million over the next four years as part of the Liberal minority government’s budget efficiency dividend.
An RTI obtained by Labor has shown that the Liberal minority government plan to make sweeping cuts to “non-core” areas of the education department to meet the figure.
Non-core or non-priority areas for the Liberal minority government include things like:
- Programs to combat bullying
- School sports grants
- Apprenticeships and Traineeships programs
- Family engagement
- Student engagement and attendance
How can student engagement and attendance not be a core area of priority the education department? Appalling.
Minister Palmer and her government need to come clean about their sweeping education cuts and rule out these cuts that will have detrimental effects on Tasmanian students.
What will the Liberals’ budget cuts mean for students who have disengaged with their school and struggle to attend? What will it mean for students that face bullying, harassment, and struggle to learn because of their school environment?
And what will it mean for programs that create traineeships, apprenticeships, and pathways to employment?
Tasmania’s education outcomes are lagging the nation. Decisions should be based upon securing the best possible outcomes for students, not saving money to pay for ten years of fiscal incompetence and budget mismanagement.
Sarah Lovell MLC
Shadow Minister for Education & Early Years
