Friday, 24 April 2026

 The Australian Education Union has slammed Education Minister Jo Palmer after revelations her Government secretly cut $24 million from public education this financial year, directly contradicting her public promises. 

The cuts include $22.5 million from in-school funding despite repeated assurances from Palmer that there would be no cuts to schools. 

The AEU says the documents expose broken promises and raise serious questions about Palmer’s credibility as she seeks re-election. 

“Jo Palmer told Tasmanians there would be no cuts to education. That was not true,” said AEU State Manager Brian Wightman. 

“You cannot promise to protect schools in public and then strip millions out of the system behind closed doors.” 

“Tasmanians deserve to know the truth about her record.” 

Minister Palmer was revealed to have left millions of dollars in vacancies unfilled in a chronically understaffed system and withheld funding from school budgets, leaving schools worse off in the face of inflation. 

The figures only became public after Treasurer Eric Abetz resisted their release, further fuelling concerns about transparency from the Minister. 

Jo Palmer’s cuts have come at a time when schools are facing chronic workforce shortages and Tasmania’s education outcomes remain below the national average.