Eva Lawler unleashes on CLP’s Jo Hersey over Sorry Day in schools

The Education Minister has delivered an extraordinary spray in parliament, accusing a CLP member of having ‘racist’ views about Sorry Day being taught in schools.

The Territory’s education minister has delivered an extraordinary spray in parliament, accusing an opposition member of having a “racist” view about Sorry Day.

Eva Lawler unleashed on the CLP’s education spokeswoman Jo Hersey in Thursday’s parliament sittings, describing a letter the opposition MLA penned her as “racist, bigoted and ignorant”.

It comes after Ms Hersey raised concerns with the Minister that a Palmerston teacher’s “beliefs” were being passed onto their students while teaching them about National Sorry Day.

In her letter, which Ms Lawler tabled, Ms Hersey attached an email from a “concerned grandparent” who said she was “disgusted” the teacher “forced their personal political beliefs” on students and was “teaching them racism”.

“My granddaughter, along with the rest of her peers have nothing to be sorry for,” the grandmother’s email reads.

A picture also shows students at the government school were asked to list things both Australia and they individually were sorry for.

Students at a Palmerston primary school filled out these Sorry Day activities, according to the grandmother. Picture: Supplied

Ms Hersey said in her letter to Ms Lawler it was important children had a “balanced education”.

“Can you please confirm this task falls within the Territory government’s curriculum for early primary school students,” she said.

“Teachers are there to guide and teach to the curriculum but not pass on their personal beliefs to students. Especially those too young to understand the repercussions.”

Ms Lawler said she was “appalled and shocked” upon receiving Ms Hersey’s letter.

“I pity the day if you are ever an education minister,” she said before parliament on Thursday.

“You are a cold-hearted, nasty old … terrible thing to say.”

Ms Hersey then stood to say: “you are (the most) offensive minister that I’ve ever come across in my life”.

“I ask her to withdraw,” she said.

“I am passing on the message from a constituent, they are not my concerns and that is what my role is in the community.”

Ms Lawler said the Labor government “absolutely acknowledges” National Sorry Day.

“And absolutely acknowledges the suffering and the hurt that was caused during the Stolen Generations,” she said.

New laws don’t ‘fix the mess’ in NT schools

New laws that put more accountability on non-government schools in the Territory have passed parliament with bipartisan support.

Changes to the Education Act, which passed during Tuesday’s parliament sittings, have standardised the process of suspending and expelling students across public and private schools.

It also aims to make sure complaints made within non-government schools are shared with the Department of Education while non-government schools are now legally bound to follow national guidelines that emerged from the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.

While the Bill was supported across the chamber, the CLP and independents criticised shortfalls in the education system that have drawn national attention in recent weeks.

Education Minister Eva Lawler. Picture: Pema Tamang Pakhrin

Education Minister Eva Lawler said the Bill brought “consistency and clarity” across the sector’s 43 private and 153 government schools.

“Most importantly, these amendments mean that students, parents and teachers will not

be confused by different rules for different schools,” she said.

A series of reports in The Australian revealed Territory schools were $214.8m short of funding per year.

The masthead found the gap left one in five students effectively underfunded, particularly those in remote schools due the Territory’s funding model being based on attendance and not enrolment.

Recent NAPLAN results highlighted educational failings for Aboriginal students with just a third completing Year 12 and only one in five meeting the minimum writing benchmark in Year 9.

The government last year committed to reforming the funding model to bring it in line with all other states, however a timeline is not clear.

Independent Araluen MLA Robyn Lambley said she would support the legislation on Tuesday as it was not “overly offensive”.

“But I will not support the lies and the spin that continues to come out of this Northern Territory Labor government when it comes to their practice and credentials on education, because they have been remiss,” she said.

Katherine MLA and education spokeswoman Jo Hersey. Picture Glenn Campbell

The CLP’s education spokeswoman Jo Hersey said the opposition would support the Bill but “with much hesitation”.

“We implore the government to focus on how the increase of regulatory burden will be managed at a school level so as not to put further strain on the school system,” she said.

“Given the failings of the current system to provide a safe, well-funded results-oriented learning environment, it is disappointing to see an education bill that goes only an incremental way towards fixing the mess Labor has made of our education system.”

Ms Lawler said the reports in the national masthead “were not new issues” as she blamed the commonwealth for the funding gap.

“We are very much aware of them and Education is working hard to address them,” she said.

The Bill comes into effect on January 2, 2024.

Originally published as Eva Lawler unleashes on CLP’s Jo Hersey over Sorry Day in schools