Labor has accused Tasmanian Education Minister Jo Palmer of diverting $1.6 million in federal schools funding to bankroll a controversial reorganisation of schools.
Labor leader Josh Willie said the government had confirmed during budget estimates that $600,000 from the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement was spent in 2025, with another $500,000 set aside for both 2026 and 2027.
The funding is meant to deliver needs-based support to Tasmanian students under the Gonski principles of educational equity.
Willie said the money was instead being spent on the government’s Multi School Organisation trial, including executive salaries and interstate consultancies.
“Minister Palmer is paying for interstate consultants and CEOs out of money that should be going through the school gate,” Willie said.
The government has created senior roles for the trial, including a chief executive paid more than $200,000 and a head of operations on more than $150,000.
Willie said that amounted to more than $350,000 for two executives sitting above three existing school principals.
Palmer announced last week that Youngtown Primary School, Ravenswood Heights Primary School and St Leonards Primary School would form the second MSO.
New Town Primary, Moonah Primary and Risdon Vale Primary formed the first, which Hobart City High School will join next year.
“I’m a former teacher, I can tell her for free that it’s a bad idea,” Willie said.
“When you don’t have buy-in from teachers and support staff, it’s not going to work.”
Premier Jeremy Rockliff rejected the criticism, saying the MSO model was being embraced by schools.
“It’s about ensuring that schools have more resources to teach,” Rockliff said.
“It’s about reducing paperwork for teachers, so they can have more time to teach our young people.”
Asked whether the government was raiding the Better and Fairer Schools Agreement to fund the trial, Rockliff said it was not.
“These resources are being applied to exactly where they need to be applied,” he said.
Willie pointed to surveys showing widespread concern among teachers and principals about the model.
He said the Australian Education Union had reported most principals across the state were rejecting it.
Willie said the government should instead focus on lifting early learning participation rates, which he described as the worst in the country.
“It’s no coincidence that we have the worst participation rates in early years education and some of the worst education results in the country,” he said.
