Arabic version: فريق التعليم الدامج في تسمانيا يستعد لتقليص عدد موظفيه

According to ABC News, Tasmania’s Inclusive Practice Team is set to lose four of its 16 full-time positions, a week after Education Minister Jo Palmer’s office said there was no proposal to reduce staffing in the team.

The team, within the Department for Education, Children and Young People, works with educators to share expertise in teaching students with disabilities. The Australian Education Union said its members were told last week that cuts were coming. At the time, a spokesperson for Ms Palmer said no proposal had been put forward to reduce staff numbers.

A government spokesperson said no proposal regarding the ICT had been shared early last week, but the department had since developed a changed proposal through its broader restructure process. A change proposal seen by ABC News said the reduction would be achieved through ending fixed-term contracts, reduced hours and natural attrition. Consultation is due to start in October, with changes expected by the end of the year.

AEU state president David Genford called the cuts “disgraceful” and said teachers considered the team highly valuable. He said students requiring “extensive” help had risen from 764 in 2023 to 1,529 in 2026. Labor leader Josh Willie said Ms Palmer needed to correct the record and explain the reduction to the service.

Hobart parent Julia Scott said the team had helped her year 4 daughter Ada’s teachers develop an individual learning plan. She said the coaches were a bridge between education and children having access to it, and raised concerns about support for Ada’s new teacher and teacher’s assistants next year. The department has been tasked with finding $228 million in savings over four years under the treasurer’s operational efficiencies program.