Education is a basic need and a fundamental right for every Tasmanian, but parents are forking out hundreds of dollars a year to send their children to public schools. Schools themselves are being left with unequal funding because levies vary from school to school and administrative staff often need to chase payment from struggling families.
That’s why today the Greens have launched a new policy to make a public school education free, to increase public education funding, and to support parents on low incomes with back-to-school costs.
The cost of living is hitting hard for many Tasmanians, and for families the extra costs of going back to school have made things even tougher. School should be a positive thing for families, not something that makes it even harder to pay the power bill or put food on the table.
The Greens want to make public schools free, saving parents hundreds of dollars a year for every child. And we want to make it easier for low-income families to cope by bringing in a Back-to-School Supplies grant of $110 per child each year to help cover the cost of basics like stationery, shoes, and backpacks.
Importantly we’re also pushing to address the inequity in the public school system by putting more funds into the schools that need it most.
With a new government and the Greens in balance of power, we’ll fight for a stronger public school system, and to deliver real cost of living relief for Tasmanian families.
