Catholic Education Tasmania head Dr Gerard Gaskin and wife to retire
Dr Gerard Gaskin has retired as head of Catholic Education Tasmania after school principals allegedly told the Archbishop they had lost confidence in him. What we know.
He sent an email to staff on Friday announcing both himself and his wife Kathy Gaskin would retire at the end of the school year.
In the two-page letter Dr Gaskin, a Catholic educator for 50 years, outlined his achievements and those of his wife, a former school principal.
He said in the letter that Catholic Education in Tasmania had “experienced a period of significant transformation and growth” under his leadership.
At the end of the letter, Catholic Archbishop Anthony Ireland pays tribute to the Gaskins.
“I’d like to thank Dr Gerard Gaskin and Kathy Gaskin for their services to Catholic Education in Tasmania and nationally and wish them well for the future,” he said.
Sources told the Sunday Tasmanian Dr Gaskell’s resignation came after disquiet from some school principals about his leadership.
There are 38 Catholic schools in the state with about 16,000 students and 4000 staff.
The Independent Education Union has not been officially told of Dr Gaskin’s departure but general secretary David Brear said he would not be missed.
“Staff in our great Tasmanian Catholic schools will always do whatever it takes to look after their students and that means, amongst other things, celebrating diversity,” he said
“Sadly, the leadership of Tasmanian Catholic education did not always embrace diversity among their staff.
“I think some of the positions taken and statements made by Dr Gaskin have been inconsistent with the values most Catholic school educators seek to get across to their students.
“For this reason few will be sorry to see him gone.”
Mrs Gaskin, who was St Thomas Aquinas Teaching Schools Director, played a key role in training Catholic teachers.
Dr Trish Hindmarsh, a former head of CET, welcomed Dr Gaskin’s retirement.
“It’s a sound and wise decision in the best interests of himself. I wish him well,” she said.
“I believe it’s (also) in the best interests of Catholic education in Tasmania.
“It opens the way for a more creative and joyous development in Catholic education and we have great hopes for the future.”
At a Tasmanian parliamentary inquiry into school bullying this year, Dr Gaskin came under fire, along with former Archbishop Julian Porteous, over employment criteria for senior leadership positions in Catholic schools.
He told the hearing that if a person was in a same-sex or de facto relationship, this would “preclude them from applying for the position”.
In June 2023, the Sunday Tasmanian reported that Dr Gaskin, had apologised for “any unintentional harm and distress” he may have caused, following an investigation into alleged inappropriate behaviour towards two women.
After a complaint to the Archdiocese of Hobart, an investigation was launched into an alleged incident at a CET staff meeting in Campbell Town in December 2022.
The complaint, which accused Dr Gaskin of sexual harassment, was not made by either of the two women who were the subjects of the alleged behaviour.
He allegedly hugged and kissed one female staff member at the meeting, who was said to have “winced and looked surprised”.
A CET spokesman said “no adverse finding” had been made against Dr Gaskin and the conclusions made were subjected to an independent legal review.
