Jeremy Rockliff MP

Deputy Leader of the State Opposition
Tuesday 10 January, 2012



Extending regional high schools to year 12 would help address retention issues
 

The Liberals believe that we can do more to address the shocking school retention problems in Tasmania.

It was reported in the Examiner today that just 14 percent of boys in remote areas were completing year 12. We are failing our future generations if we don’t tackle school retention.

That’s why the Liberals have proposed a clear policy to extend high schools to year 12. In addition to keeping all existing colleges open, we will work with regional and remote communities as a priority and extend their high schools from year 10 to year 12 first. 

This is a practical, fully costed and fully funded policy that will start to tackle the problems that face regional and remote communities and I have been encouraged by the support this policy has already received from the community.

Unfortunately, Labor and the Greens want to shut regional and remote schools because they have trashed the budget and can’t get their priorities right. Under the Green-Labor Government retention rates will only get worse because the Green-Labor Government doesn’t see these communities as a priority, unlike the Liberals.