Premier Jeremy Rockliff says Tasmanian students “should well and truly be in the classroom” rather than protesting, after his treasurer criticised a student at an anti-One Nation rally.
Treasurer Eric Abetz shared an image on social media on Thursday evening, singling out the student for wearing a shirt bearing the communist hammer and sickle symbol.
The photograph was taken from Pulse’s coverage of the rally.
“More people died under the hammer and sickle of communism than any other ideology last century,” Abetz wrote.
“A bit more time in the classroom and a bit less time protesting would be instructive.”
Bass Greens MP Cecily Rosol accused Abetz of “attacking” a young person and said he should instead spend more time working to improve the lives of young Tasmanians.
“[The treasurer] has called out a young person for what they were wearing,” she said.
“The protest is legal in Tasmania and everybody has the right to go out and express their opinions.”
Asked on Friday whether the post was appropriate for a minister, Rockliff said he understood the student was not offended.
“We would prefer our young people to be in the classroom learning,” he said.
“We like to hear, of course, people expressing their views, but also there is historical significance to that symbol, which has a very dark history and symbolises a murderous regime.”
“So there may well be good cause to go back to the classroom and learn from history.”
Rockliff was also asked whether ministers had a duty of care when posting about young people, given the volume of comments the image attracted.
He said “the young person themselves, as I understand it, say they were not offended and that is the end of the matter”.
“We need to be all responsible when it comes to social media commentary, when we post and when we comment,” the premier said.
The student pictured, who gave their name as Leo, told ABC Radio’s Hobart breakfast show he wore the shirt to “show off my beliefs”.
Leo said he went to the rally hoping to “meet some fellow comrades” and show support for workers’ rights.
He described the hammer and sickle as “a universal sign of just purely workers’ rights”.
“It doesn’t even have to have any form of relation to communism,” he said.
He acknowledged the emblem had been used incorrectly by some organisations, but said he considered it a “general left-wing symbol”.
About 200 people attended the protest on Parliament Lawns on Thursday as part of a national day of student action.
