Truancy strategy needed

Reports today that the Federal Government will trial linking a parent’s welfare payments with their child’s school attendance record highlights that not enough is being done in Australia to address the rate of truancy.

In Tasmania truancy rates are too high and before the Federal Government rolls out linking welfare payments to truancy in Tasmania, the State Government needs to develop a strategic plan of action to tackle absenteeism.

In 2008, the Premier had to admit that in Year 10 there was an 18% absenteeism rate, half of whom never provide an excuse or explanation. If you are not turning up, you have no chance of an education.

Since last year I have been calling on the Premier to establish a School Absenteeism Taskforce involving all public and private education providers, Children and Family Services, the Commissioner for Children, and Centrelink to establish a comprehensive strategy to tackle absenteeism in schools and the reasons for absenteeism.

Truancy happens for a number of reasons. Some children are truant because schools don’t have the resources or specialist teachers and teacher aides to cater for their special needs and the Government needs to work with parents and the community to address those issues.

Some talented and gifted children are bored, while some opt out because they see themselves as failures. While other students are wagging for many other reasons and we need to support and empower both the schools and parents to deal with this situation.

At the end of the day, while truancy is a major problem in Tasmania, linking welfare with truancy should only ever be a last resort and there is much more the State Government could and should be doing to address this problem.
Sue Napier MP Shadow Minister for Education