School’s out for Sarah: Rockliff takes on education role as MP enjoys overseas holiday
A political scientist has questioned the timing of having one minister with both the key health and education portfolios during Covid as schools prepare to return. LATEST >>
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A TASMANIAN political scientist has questioned the timing of having one minister with both the key health and education portfolios during Covid as schools prepare to return.
Professor Richard Herr said all ministers had been under stress because of the length of the Covid pandemic and “each is entitled to a break from time to time”.
“However, as we have seen, things change quickly with Omicron. Victoria has just declared a code brown because its health services are stretched,” he said.
“There is a real difficulty with one minister having to make key decisions where conflicting interests are in play.
“For example, what happens if teachers argue a case for delaying the return to the classroom that counters the advice of the health department?
“Jeremy Rockliff has considerable capacity as he has shown by taking on the poisoned chalice of health which is critical to the state’s wellbeing.
“But he may have to balance just such conflicting interests.”
Professor Herr said on the one hand Mr Rockliff was the advocate in Cabinet as health minister and yet currently he was also the acting education minister.
“If both ministers were in Cabinet at this critical time both with Omicron and the return to school, each would have equal standing,” he said.
“There would be two separate and independent advocates for health and education.
“Of course, we hope there isn’t any real conflict between community health and a safe, uninterrupted return to school.
“The timing of the Minister’s leave is an issue precisely because of the rapid and unpredicted effects of Omicron.
“We have seen how the rapidity of the spread of the virus has forced Victoria to declare its code brown.”
Rockliff takes on education role as minister enjoys overseas holiday
Education Minister Sarah Courtney will not return to work from holidays until three days before school starts, leaving Health Minister Jeremy Rockliff to juggle two key portfolios amid the Covid pandemic.
Mr Rockliff has defended Ms Courtney’s “pre-planned” overseas holiday and says the two portfolios dovetail well together.
But Labor’s education spokesman Josh Willie says it is perplexing Ms Courtney is holidaying overseas when many staff will be going to school unpaid in their holidays.
Mr Rockliff, who was education minister for seven years, says he has a focus and interest in education and the Covid focus was now on schools.
“In many respects wearing both hats at this present time enables me to have key communication lines with the Department of Education,” he said.
“I had an enormous workload anyway but you make it fit and work.
“Sarah’s was pre-planned leave and everyone deserves a break.”
Mr Rockliff confirmed he would be acting education minister until she returns on February 6 – three days before state school students return to school.
“I’ll be acting [education] minister until February 6th,’’ he said.
“And Ms Courtney, I understand, will be coming back from overseas.”
Mr Willie said Ms Courtney should have been asked to return to work by Premier Peter Gutwein.
On Thursday Mr Gutwein attacked Labor for questioning the timing of Ms Courtney’s leave saying she had worked on the plan for schools returning for many months and Tasmania was the first state to have a plan for schools to deal with Covid.
“The politics being played out on this say more about (Labor leader) Ms White than what they do about a minister taking a short period of leave,” he said.
Mr Willie said: “I find it absolutely perplexing that the minister for education is overseas on a holiday when our school staff are trying to prepare for the most unsettling start to the school year in living memory,” he said.
“Many of our school staff will be coming into school, unpaid, in their holidays, to ensure our students can start school on time and that plans are put in place.
“Meanwhile, the minister’s overseas on a holiday. Where is her sense of duty, where is her sense of responsibility?”
“I think it’s a failure of Premier Gutwein’s leadership not to call her back.
“We need to have an education minister at this critically important time being available to make decisions and implement the schools plan so that Tasmanian children can continue their education.”
Mr Willie said Ms Courtney was leaving her work to overburdened colleagues.
However, Mr Rockliff says she will return “refreshed” and “raring to go.”
“The Premier and deputy Premier are here in Tasmania and I have had seven years’ experience in education and we are well and truly capable of working with school communities leading up to the start of school,” he said.
‘Cheap political games’: Premier jumps to MP’s defence over holiday
The Premier has leapt to the defence of education minister Sarah Courtney, who was rebuked by Labor for going on holiday while schools prepare to reopen.
Ms Courney’s absenteeism was criticised by Labor leader Rebecca White, who said the timing was “unacceptable” given parents’ anxieties surrounding the reopening of schools.
“The Minister for Education must come back and do her job,” Ms White said.
“The premier needs to show better judgment and pull her back so that she is here to make sure this plan is finalised and it’s ready to go well in advance of term one returning next month.”
Ms Courtney is due to return from holiday next month ahead of the school reopening on February 9.
In the meantime her job will be done by health minister Jeremy Rockliff, who will serve as the acting education minister.
Ms White said this was not a realistic workload, given the outbreak at the Latrobe’s Mersey Community Hospital and the Covid-related complications with reopening the schools.
Ms White said former Labor Premier Lara Giddings cut her own holiday short in 2013 due to the seriousness of Tasmania’s bushfires, and that Ms Courtney should do the same.
However Premier Gutwein said Tasmania was already well prepared to handle the start of semester one, being the first state in Australia to reveal their reopening strategy.
Mr Gutwein said Ms White was merely playing cheap political games instead of offering any substantive criticism.
“I think the politics being played about this says more about Ms White than they do about a minister taking a short period of leave,” Mr Gutwein said.
“I can’t see what the issue is for the leader of the opposition other than she has nothing purposeful to contribute to this debate in any way shape or form other than to play cheap politics.”
MIA: Education Minister slammed for ‘inappropriate’ holiday
EDUCATION Minister Sarah Courtney has been accused of going “missing in action” by political rivals as she goes on holiday just a few weeks before Tasmanian students head back to classrooms and with a Covid-19 cloud hanging over the state.
Labor has slammed the timing of Ms Courtney’s leave, at a time when parents were anxious about sending their children back to school.
“Less than three weeks before school resumes and when there is no information about what has been done to ensure Tasmanian schools are Covid safe is not the time for Ms Courtney to be missing in action,” shadow education minister Josh Willie said.
“There is nothing wrong with taking annual leave but the school community is at a crucial junction when assurances need to be given.”
The Greens echoed the concerns, saying the timing was “inappropriate”.
“The Gutwein Government is asking healthcare workers to cancel their leave so they can help deal with the current Covid situation, but their own ministers won’t do the same to deal with critical and urgent issues of child safety,” Greens MP Rosalie Woodruff said.
Premier Peter Gutwein defended the timing of Ms Courtney’s leave.
“The education minister is having a well earned break,” Mr Gutwein said.
“She’ll be back on deck before the school year starts.
“I know personally how important it is to manage yourself and to have an appropriate break.”
The Premier would not confirm whether or not Ms Courtney was still in Tasmania.
He said the state government was prepared to deliver a plan in Ms Courtney’s absence.
“Jeremy Rockliff is acting education minister at the moment,” he said.
“In terms of the plan for education that has been under construction over a couple of months, we’ll be putting the final touches on it this month.
“As health minister and acting education minister, he’s well placed in terms of delivering that plan.”
Australian Education Union Tasmania president David Genford said there were plenty of unanswered questions about going back to school, including around testing requirements.
“Victoria and New South Wales want students tested twice a week,” Mr Genford said.
“We’ve heard the education department themselves have ordered 10,000 RATs and believe they will have access to 200,000 tests.
“Without the plan it’s hard to know how many are needed.
“If it’s following the same plan as NSW I think they’re going to need to order a lot more”
Mr Gutwein said more information would be provided about RATs when the education plan was revealed.
“Rapid antigen tests are a part of our plan and in terms of parents receiving them, they will receive them free of charge but we’ll be outlining our plan tomorrow (Thursday) after national cabinet.
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