• Legislative Council could hand Government a chance to get reforms right
• Labor warned the Minister not to rush ahead
• All sides want the best possible educational outcomes
Members of the Legislative Council are right to be apprehensive about passing the Government’s education reforms as they stand.
Shadow Education Minister Michelle O’Byrne said Labor has been warning the Minister for months that preparation and proper consultation had to come first.
“The warnings the Government has been getting from Labor* and other sectors of the community are being echoed in the upper house,” Ms O’Byrne said.
“The Minister has a chance to go away, do the necessary preparation and consult thoroughly.
“We can’t have a top-down approach to education policy, it must be driven and supported by the community.
“No one is disputing the benefit of children being introduced to play-based learning at a young age.
“But it’s got to be well-thought through and it has to be adequately funded.
“This is significant reform and the Liberal Government must make sure it gets it right.
“The ‘we know best attitude’ is dangerous when applied to something as important as the future of education in Tasmania.
“We have the time to get this right. If the Minister takes a deep breath, listens to the concerns of key stakeholders and comes back with an improved piece of legislation, then Labor vows to work constructively with the Government.”
*Download a letter from Michelle O’Byrne to the Minister in May this year …
Letter_for_Minister_Rockliff_-_May_2016.PDF
Michelle O’Byrne MP Deputy Labor Leader Shadow Education Minister
