Independent Audit the Only Way to Get Truth
The Tasmanian Greens today accused Premier David Bartlett of being in denial over the impacts of Tasmania Tomorrow on staff, students and educational outcomes.
Greens Leader Nick McKim MP said that the Premier’s claims on retention rates are unbelievable, and demanded that attendance records at the Academy and the Polytechnic be released.
“Teachers are telling me that many students who have not showed up to classes for months are still enrolled despite attempts to remove them from the system. This would represent a deliberate skewing of the retention figures in order to allow the Premier to claim things are going well when actually his reforms are crumbling around him,” Mr McKim said.
“The Premier must know that his claims of 95% retention into third term are absolute rubbish. It’s time for an independent audit to get to the bottom of how bad things actually are.”
“All that the Premier has to fear from an independent audit is the truth.”
“The first step to fixing a problem is to admit that it exists, and while Mr Bartlett remains in denial it is clear that things will not improve.”
Mr McKim repeated his demand that the Premier not force more campuses into Tasmania Tomorrow next year until an independent review of the impacts of the whole system, as well as an independent audit of retention and attendance levels, have been completed.
“There is no way that campuses like Rosny College should be forced into Tasmania Tomorrow next year while massive problems remain for students and staff, and nothing meaningful is being done to fix them.”
Nick McKim MP Greens Leader
