Opening school is worth risk when children need education

The State Government needs to stop pretending that home schooling is easy for parents. Most parents are employed in the private sector where there is an expectation that you are actually WORKING at home.

THE conflicting statements from governments over home schooling are causing needless uncertainty and confusion for Queensland parents and their children.

The coronavirus restrictions have already placed unprecedented pressures on families – and now the ambiguity surrounding education of their children is only creating more stress.

Premier refuses to release health advice following schools decision

Top tips for parents working from home and providing home schooling

The number of new coronavirus cases in the state continues to fall, giving us all encouragement that we are winning our united war against it and that there will be an easing of restrictions in the foreseeable future.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison is urging parents to send their children back to school – because health experts have declared it safe – but at the same time Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk is telling Queenslanders to continue with home schooling.

Her Education Minister Grace Grace is even telling parents supervising those children that just two to three hours of learning each day will be enough – add that maybe parents could attend to that in their work-from-home lunch break.

The State Government needs to stop pretending that home schooling is easy for parents. Most parents are employed in the private sector where there is an expectation that you are actually WORKING at home.

The Prime Minister has meanwhile issued a direct plea to the states to keep classrooms open, especially for the children of essential workers who cannot be effectively homeschooled (and remember here he has consistently defined “essential workers” as those with a job). He says that teachers unions have too much clout and that Australia cannot allow a situation where parents are forced to choose between putting food on the table through their employment or supporting the education of their kids. He rightly says we will lose many things in the course of fighting this virus but that we cannot afford to lose a child’s education.

Is it any wonder parents are confused? That the top conversation point in homes across Queensland yesterday was variations of “how the heck are we going to juggle this?”

Parents are already under great strain trying to manage their workloads and in many cases their struggling businesses. Those who have lost their job are busy looking for a new role. To simply assume parents can just pluck three hours a day out of thin air is bizarre.

Teachers are paid to teach, and families should now be relying on their expertise more than ever.

Since our classrooms were last opened the situation has changed dramatically. Rates of infection have dropped substantially, thanks largely to everyone heeding the advice of the health authorities.

Why then is the State Government now ignoring the very same health advice that says children can go back to school?

If the Federal Government and the best medical advice is that it is safe for schools to reopen, every child should be allowed to go back to school if that’s what their parents want. And that’s the key test here.

How about, instead of treating school as the last resort, the government says to parents they are welcome to keep their kids home if they want but that our places of learning are open to all students. It would be the first step to a return to normal life.

AFP NOT ABOVE LAW

THE Australian Federal Police has received a deserved kick in the pants for its disgraceful treatment of News Corp journalist Annika Smethurst and for its trampling on the freedoms of the press.

All seven judges of the High Court ruled the warrant used to raid Smethurst’s Canberra apartment last year was invalid and the seizure of data was unlawful.

The raid was a result of her exclusive reporting on secret plans to expand the Government’s spying powers.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has previously said that journalists are not above the law – but the High Court’s decision shows that neither is the AFP, with one justice even spelling out that fact.

The justices found the search warrant was illegal – so the facts should concern all Australians.

Freedom of the press is a vital component of any democracy and all people in Australia should be concerned that a journalist’s home was raided illegally. Hopefully this is now the end of this sorry affair.