Tasmania’s education and skills sector faces an extraordinary situation in which Minister Jeremy Rockliff intends to abolish the independent Tasmanian Qualifications Authority without having a replacement plan in place.
“Mr Rockliff announced his intention to abolish the TQA in the State Budget, and yet six months later he has absolutely no idea what he will replace it with,” said Greens Education spokesperson Nick McKim MP.
“Jeremy Rockliff is earning a well deserved reputation for making it up as he goes along, and this is no exception. It is not good enough for him to say this will be all worked out sometime in the future.”
“The danger is that Mr Rockliff’s decision to abolish the TQA will result in more work for our already overloaded teachers, who should be able to focus on their core role of educating students.”
Mr McKim also said that removing the independence of the TQA’s work opens up the risk that course development could be politicised by politicians.
“What next? Will Mr Rockliff abolish wilderness studies because it conflicts with his government’s obsession with developing Tasmania’s wilderness areas?”