Tasmania disability-education support team to lose four of 16 posts

Tasmania’s Inclusive Practice Team, which helps educators support children with disabilities, is set to lose four of its 16 full-time positions. The proposed 25 per cent reduction comes a week after Education Minister Jo Palmer’s office said there was no proposal to reduce staffing in the team. The Australian Education Union has called the cuts disgraceful and questioned whether the minister was misled or had misled the public.

The team works within the Department for Education, Children and Young People and shares expertise on teaching students with disabilities. A change proposal says the reduction will be achieved through ending fixed-term contracts, reducing hours and natural attrition. Consultation is due to begin in October, with changes expected by the end of the year.

Hobart mother Julia Scott said the team had helped teachers develop an individual learning plan for her daughter Ada, who uses an eye-gaze system and mobility aids. Scott said the reduction could leave new teachers and aides without adequate support. Labor leader Josh Willie said Palmer should correct the record and explain the decision.

The department has been asked to find $228 million in savings over four years under a broader operational-efficiencies programme. The union said the team’s workload was especially important as the number of students classified as needing extensive support rose from 764 in 2023 to 1,529 in 2026. The department’s proposal says the team’s functions and service-delivery model will be reviewed.