The Australian Education Union (AEU) has called for politicians to stay out of Tasmanian public schools for the rest of the school year unless the premier apologises over his handling of a row about Christmas at a Launceston primary school.
The AEU’s elected Tasmanian branch executive, made up of teachers and education support staff, unanimously passed two motions at an “extraordinary meeting” on Wednesday night.
The first calls for politicians and their representatives to be banned from visiting public schools for the remainder of Term 4.
The union said this would allow school communities to focus on “teaching, learning and end-of-year activities without further political disruption”.
The second condemns the handling of the matter by Premier Jeremy Rockliff and Education Minister Jo Palmer and “the distress this has caused members and the school community”.
AEU Tasmania branch president David Genford said the school community had “simply decided to change the name of its end-of-year event”.
He said the premier, “without having the full facts or following proper process”, wrote “an ill-informed letter” that sparked a “wave of abuse”.
“Parents and educators across the state are aghast that Premier Rockliff has not only refused to apologise for his actions but has doubled down on the public bullying of a dedicated northern Tasmanian school community,” he said.
Genford said subsequent comments by Liberal ministers had added to the “social media pile-on”.
Treasurer Eric Abetz shared an AI-generated image of a mother comforting her son about a cancelled nativity play, while Deputy Premier Guy Barnett congratulated the premier for “making it clear” schools should celebrate Christmas.
Genford said Palmer “failed to stand up for the school, protect its community and condemn her colleagues’ actions”.
“Such grubby politics and dangerous public actions must be condemned,” he said.
“Politicians are not welcome in Tasmanian public schools until Premier Rockliff apologises.”
Last week, Pulse revealed the Launceston primary school had renamed its annual ‘Christmas on the Hill’ event to ‘Holiday on the Hill’.
The school told concerned parents that some students “from a range of cultural and religious backgrounds” were “unable to take part in performances or rehearsals that are centred purely around Christmas themes”.
The education department said carols and a visit from Santa would still go ahead.
In a letter to the department secretary, Rockliff wrote that he did not support schools “removing reference to Christmas in end of year celebrations or removing carols”.
Rockliff then posted on Facebook that he had asked the department to step in. The post attracted more than 8,000 likes.
On Tuesday night, he posted again, saying he stood by his expectation that schools “acknowledge and celebrate Christmas” and that there was “no excuse for attacks on any individual or school”.
