The Liberals must act urgently to provide clear advice to parents and schools to minimise confusion and anxiety over COVID-19.
Shadow Education Minister Josh Willie said Tasmanians are crying out for leadership as the mixed messages from the Liberals here and in Canberra only fuel their concerns.
“In these unprecedented times, Tasmanians want to know that their leaders are doing everything in their power to keep them safe,” Mr Willie said.
“We’re hearing from parents that they have no trust in the confused, inconsistent and ever-changing advice coming out of Canberra, and they’re taking no comfort from the Premier’s equally confused messages.
“Parents don’t know whether to send their kids to school or not and feel abandoned by their governments.
“In this leadership vacuum, it has been left to individuals and organisations to take their own actions, with some schools already switching to online learning and many parents opting to keep their children home.
“The community deserves clear advice – the government must communicate the threshold for closing schools and make preparations for mass school closures, including trialling ‘learning from home’ systems now.
“Parents also need to know with certainty that they won’t be penalised for keeping their children home in the absence of clearer advice.
“Some parents have been told this will result in unauthorised absences. It’s heartening that the Premier has promised action on this but it must happen immediately to ease the minds of worried parents.”
“In these challenging times, we must ensure that all kids can remain engaged with learning, especially when we have the resources to make this happen.”
Josh Willie
Shadow Minister for Education
