The South Australian Liberal Party has been caught red-handed preparing to slash support across the Department for Education — repeating the same tired cuts agenda from their last term in government.
A recent Freedom of Information (FOI) request lodged by Opposition Education spokesperson Heidi Girolamo sought detailed figures on the number of non-teaching staff in the department — a clear sign of the Opposition's intent to wind back the supports that teachers and students rely on every day.
This is a repeat of the cuts they made in 2019 when in government – slashing the department's budget by $50m – which led to declining student results and a workforce shortage.
It comes at a time when principals and teachers are calling for more, not less, support to manage increasing classroom complexity.
Non-teaching staff includes school service officers, counsellors, allied health professionals such as occupational therapists, speech pathologists and psychologists, as well as administrative officers who take pressure off educators.
When initially asked by The Advertiser, the Liberal Opposition refused to rule out future cuts to these vital roles.
In contrast, the Malinauskas Labor Government has made historic investments in our public education system — securing a record $1.6 billion enterprise agreement that delivers more support for complex learners and gives teachers more time for planning and lesson preparation.
It also follows recent Gonski negotiations with the Federal Government that will see our public schools finally fully funded. This would be at risk under a Liberal Government.
While Ms Girolamo recently told ABC Radio that 'support in those areas is something that we would love to see,' her actions behind closed doors suggest the opposite — undermining the very supports she claims to back.
Labor has delivered targeted investments to reduce administrative burdens, strengthen responses to violence and bullying, and increase classroom support for students with complex needs.
This includes:
- An expanded incident management team to support schools and speed up investigations
- $50 million in additional mental health and allied health staff on-site
- More truancy officers to keep students engaged and in school
Minister Boyer has called on the State Opposition to come clean with South Australians and commit to no cuts to education should they return to government.
As put by Blair Boyer
Leopards don't change their spots and neither does the South Australian Liberal Party.
I am dismayed that the Opposition is even considering cuts to education.
These are the same failed ideas we've seen overseas — and the same agenda the Liberals pushed in 2019 when they cut $50 million from the Department's budget.
Those cuts led to declining student outcomes and a worsening teacher shortage crisis. We've done the work to lift NAPLAN results, strengthen literacy and numeracy, and improve school attendance. All of that is now at risk.
There's no other reason for this FOI request than to begin paving the way for cuts. It's clear they don't understand — or don't value — the way non-teaching staff support our educators every single day.
