Ms O’CONNOR question to MINISTER for EDUCATION, Ms PALMER
My question is to the Minister for Education with responsibility for Libraries Tasmania.
I refer the minister to page 25 of Budget Paper 2, volume 1, and the fate of the outstanding 26Ten program. As the minister knows, Tasmania has the highest level of adult illiteracy in the country, and the 26Ten program has been a lifesaver for many people in our communities. Is the minister able to tell the Council what her understanding is of the future of the 26Ten program, given those little flat dotted lines in the out years, under the key deliverables chart on table 3.1?
ANSWER
Mr President, I thank the honourable member for the question. Funding of 26Ten programs targeting adult literacy is certainly helping us to achieve our lifting literacy goals. Of course, lifting literacy is a priority of this government and we are certainly committed to seeing improvement in this place, in adult literacy and also, of course, in our classrooms.
The next iteration of the adult literacy strategy is currently being finalised, and I certainly look forward to seeing that. In the meanwhile, the interim 2025‑26 Budget provides funding for the continuation of the current 26Ten Tasmania strategy for adult literacy and numeracy. The current strategy ends this year, and Libraries Tasmania is now working through the new adult literacy strategy. They will be analysing the programs across the adult literacy space and looking at the broader whole‑of‑government literacy strategy in how we align that work. So, looking at what we have been funding and working out what can be in the next strategy, and that body of work is underway now.
