The Premier has refused to swallow his personal pride and agree that no further Tasmania Tomorrow changes be implemented until a full independent review with full consultation with all stakeholders takes place on how to best ensure that retention, post year 10 qualifications, engagement in education and training, industry skill profiles and skill shortages can be improved.
We have a crisis in the making, yet the Premier has refused a moratorium on pushing ahead with his Tasmania Tomorrow changes and insists that all campuses must accept them by the end of the 2010 school year.
In Parliament today I again provided the Premier with the opportunity to push his ego aside and step in, halt the roll out of Tasmania Tomorrow, review the failures that he has unleashed and fix the problem.
David Bartlett refused to support this motion – despite the views of teachers, parents, students or potential employers, and in the face of the AEU TAFE Division today announcing a series of stop work meetings.
The Tasmanian Liberals have been absolutely consistent on this. We are committed to a moratorium, and would prefer none of the existing Colleges transfer over to an experiment that is yet to even settle some of the obvious problems affecting staff and students, let alone show any evidence of improved outcomes, especially for those the reforms were intended, being the 40% of students who fail to gain a recognised qualification.
The Premier must pay urgent attention to the many system problems that are in his Tasmania Tomorrow model, particularly as they affect Polytechnic year 11 and 12 students. This includes ensuring that the review of the operations of Shared Services is completed by December this year so that any recommendations can be implemented in time for the 2010 school year.
He must also immediately provide proper VET funding and full college budgets for both Rosny and Elizabeth College to ensure that in 2010 a full range of options will be available for students.
**Please find below a copy of the Notice of Motion and attached a copy of the letter from Mrs Napier to Claremont College
767 Mrs Napier to move—That the House:—
(1) Notes that the Premier and Minister for Education has refused a moratorium on pushing ahead with his Tasmania Tomorrow changes and insists that all campuses must accept them by the end of the 2010 school year, regardless of the views of teachers, parents, students or potential employers.
(2) Supports State Liberal policy that no further changes be implemented until a full independent review with full consultation with all stakeholders takes place on how to best ensure that retention, post year 10 qualifications, engagement in education and training, industry skill profiles and skill shortages can be improved.
(3) Requires that appropriate levels of funding and access rights for Vocational Education and Training and Certificate 2 and 3 courses be provided for those colleges who are not part of the Tasmania Tomorrow changes.
(4) Declares that teaching and support staff in the Department of Education, the Tasmanian Polytechnic, Tasmanian Academy, Tasmanian Skills Institute and Skills Tasmania must be permitted to freely give evidence to the review with no recriminations on their employment. (13 October 2009)
Sue Napier MP Shadow Minister for Education
