The tragic incident at Hillcrest Primary School is affecting us all and some of us will need additional support through this time. The impact is being felt across the state, but especially in the North West Coast.
I encourage anyone who needs support during this time to reach out and speak to someone. Whether it is professional support through the EAP or by speaking to someone you trust, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
The DoE Employee Assistance Program (EAP) is run by Newport and Wildman for professional, confidential support. The EAP is a free service provided to all DoE employees and members of their immediate family and you can get information and support by free call at 1800 650 204.
Myself and AEU staff are making ourselves available to any affected AEU members for support in the Devonport office on Friday 17 December and we will extend this if necessary. You can always access the support of your union by contacting us:
Phone: 62349500 or 1800 001 313
Email: support@aeutas.org.au
We offer legal and industrial advice and support through our Member Support Centre team, but we will always support members in any way we can, especially in times like this.
Please reach out to your colleagues and check in on people if you feel able, and get in touch if we can be of any assistance.
In addition to the support of the AEU and EAP, there are community services to call 24/7 to get support:
- Lifeline on 13 11 14
- Kids Helpline on 1800 551 800
- Suicide Call Back Service on 1300 659 467
- Beyond Blue on 1300 22 46 36
- Headspace on 1800 650 890
Many of us are deeply distressed by this tragedy and rolling news coverage can be overwhelming. It’s important to look after ourselves and to appropriately support children through this time. This ABC resource “How to cope with traumatic news” may be of some assistance.
David Genford, AEU Tasmania Branch President
