www.tas.greens.org.au
The Tasmanian Greens today reiterated their call for Premier David Bartlett to hold a plebiscite of all teachers about entering the flawed Tasmania Tomorrow system, after Launceston-based teachers today voted overwhelmingly to reject the Premier’s attempt to force unwilling schools into the system.
Greens Leader Nick McKim MP said it is clear from the Department of Education’s Annual Report that the post year-ten retention rate is falling, that absenteeism is rising, and that the bungled Tasmania Tomorrow reforms, which were supposed to improve retention rates and reduce absenteeism, have failed badly so far.
Mr McKim also called on Premier David Bartlett to stop blaming and threatening teachers over his bungled reform process, and to instead look at the Department’s own figures which clearly bear out teacher’s concerns over Tasmania Tomorrow.
“Teachers in the North-West yesterday rejected Mr Bartlett’s Tasmania Tomorrow reforms, teachers in the North have today overwhelmingly rejected the reforms, and it is expected that teachers in the South, where the Premier is trying to force an unwilling College into the system, will vote to reject the Premier’s reform process at their meeting on Monday,” said Mr McKim.
“It is clear from the Department’s own Annual Report that the implementation of Tasmania Tomorrow has failed to improve post-year ten retention rates, which was touted by the Premier as the primary objective of the reforms, and that teachers are more than justified in their rejection of this failed reform process.”
“If David Bartlett has the courage of his convictions he will not have any problem with conducting a plebiscite now of all teachers regarding Tasmania Tomorrow.”
“The Premier’s claim that next year’s State election will also be a poll on Tasmania Tomorrow is highly irresponsible as it guarantees that the current unrest in the teaching ranks, and the disruption of student studies, will spill over into next year,” said Mr McKim.
Nick McKim MP Greens Leader
