The Opposition has introduced legislation into Parliament today, at the first opportunity, to overhaul Labor’s failed Tasmania Tomorrow experiment. Click here to see the bill: Secondary Colleges _Restoration_ Bill 2010
The Secondary Colleges (Restoration) Bill 2010 has been tabled, and will now be open for consultation, input and possible improvement from stakeholders, including other political parties.
The Bill abolishes the Tasmanian Academy and the Tasmanian Polytechnic from 1 January 2011. It also provides transitional arrangements to protect the employment of teaching and other staff in both organisations.
Staff would return to be employed by the Department of Education, as they were before Mr Bartlett’s experiment started.
This legislation does not affect the Skills Institute, which is one part of the changes which has actually worked.
If the legislation passes both Houses of Parliament, it will be incumbent upon the Government to make the necessary administrative and regulatory arrangements to fully implement the will of the Parliament or else leave Tasmanian students and teachers in limbo.
Unlike in other States, the Opposition is not provided with any legislative drafting assistance by the State Government in Tasmania. Therefore, while the Bill has been prepared with a clear intention, it may contain drafting flaws. I will be happy to accept amendments from either the Tasmanian Greens or Labor which improve the effect of the Bill, but not any amendments which undermine its clear purpose. I will also be introducing a consequential amendment bill in due course to deal with other necessary changes.
As the Liberal Party and the Tasmanian Greens both took to the election similar policies to overhaul the Tasmania Tomorrow failure, which has significantly disrupted the education of young Tasmanians, I hope the Greens will indicate their support for our Bill at the earliest opportunity.
Key points:
Michael Ferguson MP
Shadow Minister for Education and Skills
Wednesday 5 May, 2010
