Andrea Dawkins MP | Greens Education spokesperson
The government needs to be completely open about the appointment of the new Secretary of the Department of Education.
The new Secretary is the currently the Deputy Premier and Minister for Education's Head of Office. Unless the government is transparent about the selection, there is a great risk it will be viewed as a purely political appointment.
The government statement, issued after 5pm, 3 days before Christmas, was at pains to point out 'rigorous process' had been followed, but didn't provide anywhere near the detail Tasmanians deserve to be reassured this isn't nepotism.
The Premier told us in August that former Secretary's contract was not renewed because the Deputy Premier and Education Minister wanted new leadership. Tasmanians need to know that the Deputy Premier's choice for the position is not about political direction.
Nepotism and cronyism are at the centre of many Tasmanian stories, and we need to know this isn't the case when it comes to our children's education.