Education Minister withdraws key school reforms after union flak

Steven Miles’s government has been accused of failing to listen to Queenslanders after it was forced into an embarrassing backflip by a powerful union. VOTE IN OUR POLL

Education Minister Di Farmer in State Parliament last month. Picture: Liam Kidston

The Education Minister has bowed to pressure from the teachers’ unions and home education bodies, announcing homeschooling reforms and proposed changes to student suspensions and expulsions are officially on hold.

The LNP have responded by calling it an “embarrassing debacle”.

The two policy pieces were part of the broader overhaul of Queensland’s Education Act put forward in state parliament last month, and while the rest of the proposed changes can proceed, homeschooling and student discipline reforms are now on ice.

In making the announcement on Monday, Education Minister Di Farmer also revealed plans to establish an overarching Home School Advisory Group – the sector currently consists of multiple small representative bodies – and formally review the Department’s Home Education Unit to investigate how it needs to evolve to meet ever-increasing homeschooling numbers.

The now-paused reforms included new appeal rights for students who accumulate 11 days of short suspensions within a year.

Queensland Teachers' Union president Cresta Richardson is one of the most significant stakeholders and called for the entire Bill to be scrapped. Picture: Richard Walker

They also put new requirements on the table for student support plans for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, students with a disability, and Prep students who are either suspended or expelled.

Regarding homeschooling, the on-hold changes included making home education programs consistent with the Australian Curriculum, extending the age eligibility for homeschooling from 17 to 18, new requirements for parents to produce more detailed annual reports on their child’s progress to the Department of Education, and removes the 60-day provisional registration for families applying for homeschooling registration.

Ms Farmer said the two policy bundles “will be withdrawn and not progress at this time”.

She plans to hold a roundtable with key stakeholders including teachers’ unions, school principals, P&C Associations, and homeschooling bodies.

“I want to make it clear that while there are many aspects of the proposed Bill that I fully support, there are a number of aspects that clearly need more time to work through to avoid any unintended consequences,” Ms Farmer said.

“I have listened to education stakeholders who have made it clear both through the committee process and through ongoing meetings I have been having with them, that more work needs to be done.

“I will also be establishing a Home Education Advisory Group to consider in detail how we ensure children being home schooled are receiving the high quality education.

“A review will also commence into the role of the Home Education Unit to how best it can help not only better regulate, but provide important support to families who choose to homeschool.”

Opposition Education minister Dr Christian Rowan said it was an “embarrassing debacle”. Picture: Amaani Siddeek

The Education Act Bill attracted a staggering 900 public submissions via state parliament.

The powerful Queensland Teachers’ Union said members were “appalled at proposals related to student disciplinary absences”.

“The Bill fails to contribute to the good order and management of state schools because it undermines the professional decision-making powers of school principals and will exacerbate excessive workload pressures on school leaders,” the QTU submission said.

Teachers’ Professional Association of Queensland state secretary Edward Schuller said it would take disciplinary decisions away from school leaders and give bureaucrats the power.

“Beyond a basic question of functionality, the attempt to introduce a Department of Education managed appeals process is a slap in the face to principals and their schooling communities, and serves to worsen the issue of student discipline,” TPAQ’s submission said.

The Home Education Association also criticised many of the key reforms, and called for a Home Education Advisory Board in its submission.

“The overwhelming response from the home education community is dismay at the proposed legislative changes which do not reflect their views, nor those of academic research.

“The government has not explained why the current legislation needs changing. Rhetoric that ‘every child deserves the same access to a high-quality education, no matter who they are or where they live in Queensland’ does not provide evidence that home educated students are not receiving a high-quality education.”

LNP shadow education spokesman Dr Christian Rowan described the move as “an extraordinary development” and said “Labor has been delivered a brutal lesson”.

“This is an embarrassing debacle for Labor,” he said.

“Labor has descended into a government in chaos and crisis which utterly failed to consult and listen to Queenslanders on this issue and now has been forced to abandon its reckless plans.

“Labor failed to listen to parents, principals, teachers and key sector organisations including the Queensland Teachers Union and the Teachers Professional Association of Queensland.”