After playing an instrumental role in securing the review, Labor welcomes the release of the Final Report of the Independent Review of Tasmania’s education system and we thank Vicki Baylis and her team for their work.

Strong educational outcomes are the key to securing Tasmania's economic future, providing young Tasmanians with access to well-paid, safe, and secure jobs, but unfortunately at the moment too many children are being left behind.

While we will take time to understand the report’s recommendations in full, we welcome today’s release as a step in the right direction to addressing some of the issues holding our state back.

When Labor first called on the government to conduct a review into Tasmania’s education, the Liberals were hesitant. It’s crucial that they take the report seriously, and don’t just stick it in a drawer and forget about it.

The report notes the importance of improving the wellbeing of school staff, including looking into issues surrounding high workloads. Educators have been calling for this for years and it has to be a priority, but it shouldn’t have taken a review to see action.

The report also notes the merits of trialling a multi-school organisation system. It is crucial that the full responsibility for funding and delivering public education remains with the Government and isn’t outsourced as has happened in other countries.

Labor is serious about doing whatever we can to support Tasmanian students and educators. We’re open to a multi-partisan approach towards education as highlighted in the review, but it must be genuine and meaningful, not just an expectation that we won’t question the government or accept measure we don’t believe will deliver the best outcomes for students.

Sarah Lovell MLC
Shadow Minister for Education & Early Years