Sarah Courtney,Minister for Education
The Tasmanian Liberal Government recognises that education is the single most powerful driver for improving economic and social outcomes in Tasmania including health, life expectancy, happiness and productivity.
That's why our last Budget included a record $7.5 billion over the forward estimate, with an additional $204 million to deliver better education infrastructure bolstered by our recent election commitments.
Our strong Plan for education is working, with more students staying in school, finishing school and getting jobs in an economy that continues to strengthen and provide opportunities.
The latest direct retention figures show that the number of students progressing from Year 10 to Year 12 in 2021 has increased by almost five percentage points to 76.1%, since 2019 - the highest on record.
This is an excellent outcome, and a direct result of our successful extension program with the total number of schools extending to Years 11 and 12 now 56, and next year we will finish the process with the addition of Taroona High School.
We are investing an additional $8 million for intensive trauma support for students, taking our total investment to $22 million, with a further 100 children and young people now receiving individualised support through this program taking the total number of students receiving support to 256.
It was this Government that introduced the first Wellbeing Strategy for Tasmanian schools, and to support this strategy, we have employed record numbers of professional support staff and reintroduced School Health Nurses which have proven successful in assisting students who are suffering from stress, eating disorders and other mental health issues.
But we know there is more and we are building on this with recruitment underway now for an additional 11.4 FTE school health nurses and more professional support staff to provide free access to speech pathologists, psychologists and social workers across all of our Child and Family Learning Centres.
Under the Education Act 2016, an initiative of the Tasmanian Liberal Government, each school must develop a Respectful Student Behaviour Policy that outlines the range of strategies for supporting and promoting positive and respectful student behaviour at their school.
To enhance safety at our schools, we are also delivering $6.3 million to upgrade toilet facilities in schools and have begun work to identify and prioritise the high schools that are most in need of these upgrades.
The Tasmanian Liberal Government wants all children and young people in Tasmania, regardless of the circumstances they are born into, to have every opportunity to pursue their ambitions.
Despite petty politics and cheap shots from the Labor Party, we will continue to deliver our strong plan for education which is making a real difference in the lives of so many Tasmanian students.
