Tasmanians should keep the debate over Christmas in schools respectful, Jeremy Rockliff has said, as he stands by his call for schools to celebrate it.
In a Facebook post last night, the premier said he had “reiterated” to the education department that schools were expected to both “acknowledge and celebrate Christmas”.
“I stand by that expectation,” he wrote. “And I believe that I have a right to voice that opinion, on behalf of our community.”
“Christmas is part of our culture. It’s part of our way of life. We can be inclusive, while honouring what makes Australia so great.”
The premier said parents had contacted him about a Launceston primary school’s decision to “remove references to Christmas”.
“The school’s response confirmed changes were being made, out of concerns about exclusion,” the premier said.
Those parents, who also contacted multiple media outlets, said the school had “cancelled Christmas” by renaming its ‘Christmas on the Hill’ event.
The department told Pulse last week that “Christmas-themed items”, including carols, would still feature at the event and Santa would visit as in previous years.
In his post, the premier urged people to “be respectful” while making their “expectations as a community clear”.
“There is no excuse for attacks on any individual or school,” he said.
Multiple Liberal ministers have backed the premier on social media, with their posts attracting thousands of likes.
Treasurer Eric Abetz wrote: “Christmas is celebrated by the overwhelming majority of Tasmanians and I believe our schools should be places where those traditions are celebrated too.”
Abetz also shared an AI-generated image of a mother comforting her son about his cancelled nativity play, asking: “Is this what we want for our kids?”
Deputy Premier Guy Barnett posted: “We strongly support our schools celebrating Christmas. Well done to the premier for making it clear.”
Minister Felix Ellis and Bass MP Michael Ferguson also weighed in on the issue.
The row began last week when Pulse reported that a Launceston primary school planned to rename its annual Christmas event, prompting concerns from parents.
The acting principal said the focus was “not on moving away from any tradition, but rather on showcasing our students, their growth and the strong sense of community that exists within our school”.
In a letter seen by Pulse, Rockliff wrote to education department secretary Ginna Webster about the school’s decision.
“We expect our schools to acknowledge and celebrate Christmas, as they have always done,” he wrote.
He asked Webster to speak with the school before posting on Facebook that he had asked the department to step in. That post has since attracted more than 8,000 likes.
The Australian Education Union has since launched a petition calling on Rockliff to “unreservedly apologise for the public bullying of a school community”.
Unions Tasmania secretary Jessica Munday yesterday described the issue as a “major distraction” from matters such as cuts to public services, saying the premier and his ministers “should apologise”.
Federal Labor MP Rebecca White told ABC Radio this morning that Rockliff “went off half-baked” and should have “picked up the phone” first.
“I’d call on him to make amends for that because I think that is a really tangible example of how we as community leaders can put forward a really civil conversation and lead by example,” she said.
Labor leader Josh Willie said “culture wars” were not the answer.
“The premier was right a couple of months ago when he said culture wars frankly don’t pay the rent,” he said.
“Now he’s participating in one and I know from speaking to principals and teachers – and being a former teacher myself – there is real concern in our communities about how the leader of our state is behaving right now.”
