Government misses deadline as it tries to change school starting age

 Awarding of tender to audit child care centres now five days overdue
 Tight time frame for audit means deadlines will be hopelessly missed
 Rockliff needs to explain to parents why he is causing more confusion
The Hodgman Liberal Government has failed in its unnecessary move to lower Tasmania’s school starting age before it even begins.
Shadow Education Minister Michelle O’Byrne said Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff’s legislated requirement that every child care centre in the state be assessed for potential impacts of the unwarranted move to lower the school starting age from five to three-and-a-half already faced serious delays because the Government had failed to meet its deadline to announce a successful tender.
Ms O’Byrne said that left the overhaul of the Education Act already delayed with little hope that the state-wide audit of child care centres would be completed by May 12, in time to be taken back to the Parliament in September.
“The Education Minister opened the tender for a group to carry out the audit to assess the impact to Tasmania’s early childhood education and care sector on December 10 last year, with a closing date of January 6, offering only an incredibly short window of 16 business days for applications,” Ms O’Byrne said.
“The contract was due to be awarded by February 1 – a deadline that has been missed – and the work needs to be carried out by May 12 for the Parliament to consider the Government’s proposed implementation date.
“Mr Rockliff needs to explain to the sector and to teachers and parents how on earth 300 child care centres across Tasmania will be consulted and audited in that time period.
“It would seem an impossibility – there is simply not enough time to visit each of the early learning centres in Tasmania and discuss the impact the lowered starting age will have on them let alone engage with families and communities to understand the social impact.
“But this review is critical to ensure appropriate structures are put in place to support younger children in schools, and to assess the impact to Tasmania’s early childhood education and care sector.”
Ms O’Byrne said the Hodgman Government’s Education Bill which passed the Parliament last year clearly clarified the Education Minister needed to “seek and consider a written implementation report and recommendations of the Secretary in relation to the social and economic impact” of lowering the school starting age.
“Can that commitment be delivered in time? It seems doubtful.
“These changes were unwarranted from the get-go. And now that it’s crunch time, in typical style this government appears it will yet again fail to deliver.”
Michelle O’Byrne MP Deputy Labor Leader Shadow Education Minister