Upper House members give in-principle support to school age changes

THE Legislative Council has given “in-principle” support to a proposal to lower Tasmania’s school starting age, but more consultation will be done before the Parliament makes a final decision on the reform.

Jeremy Rockliff. Picture: AAP

THE Legislative Council has given “in-principle” support to a proposal to lower Tasmania’s school starting age, but more consultation will be done before the Parliament makes a final decision on the reform.

To allay concerns raised by some independent members of the Legislative Council about introducing a voluntary school starting age of 4½ for Prep, Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff yesterday announced what he described as a safety net.

He said the Education Department secretary would consult stakeholders, including child care centres worried about their viability if the school starting age was lowered, and “provide advice to the Minister on solutions and their implementation”.

By next September, Parliament will receive a report from the department secretary and an order from the Minister enabling the starting age to be lowered.

“If the order was disallowed by Parliament and therefore not made, the current school starting age of five would remain,” Mr Rockliff said.

“This will provide Parliament with the opportunity to assure itself that appropriate action has been taken and implementation is well planned.

“It will also allow further consultation to be undertaken with the early childhood education and care sector specifically on implementation.”

This amendment to the Education Bill before the Legislative Council was opposed by Labor MLCs Josh Willie and Craig Farrell and independent Tania Rattray.

“How can we give in-principle support when the Government is acknowledging more work needs to be done?” Mr Willie said.

Hobart MLC Rob Valentine said he did not support the amendment but he was unable to vote because he provided a pair for Western Tiers MLC Greg Hall who was absent.

Murchison MLC Ruth Forrest, who supported the amendment, said if the Government came back with anything less than a model that ensured the survival of child care centres and was the best for children “they’ll be getting a beating-up from me”.

Rosevears MLC Kerry Finch said the Legislative Council had “really put the acid on the Government and on the department”.

“What comforts me ... the Parliament will have the last say [on the lower starting age proposal],” he said.

Windermere MLC Ivan Dean said: “We need to be assured that we’ve got this right ... we do not want another education fiasco”.

The union representing the child care sector, United Voice, said the Government’s amendment was “all about playing politics and winning rather than about producing good policy”.

“They have clearly made up their minds and are determined to push it through first by brute, now by stealth,” United Voice Tasmanian branch secretary Jannette Armstrong said.

Originally published as Upper House members give in-principle support to school age changes