Union calls on MPs to stay out of schools unless premier apologises

In short:

A union is calling on politicians not to take part in public school visits for the rest of the year, unless Premier Jeremy Rockliff apologises over a Facebook post.

Mr Rockliff had asked the education department to intervene after learning of efforts to "remove all references to Christmas" at end-of-year school celebrations. Mr Rockliff's characterisation is disputed and the school in question has been the subject of an online pile-on.

What's next?

Treasurer Eric Abetz has defended the premier and says politicians are still going to go to end-of-year school events.

The education union is calling on politicians to "stay away" from Tasmania's public schools for the rest of term 4, unless the premier apologises for a social media post made about a school's upcoming Christmas event.

In the post, Premier Jeremy Rockliff wrote it had come to his attention that "there have been efforts to remove all references to Christmas in end-of-year school celebrations" and he had requested the education department "step in".

While the school in question was not named, and the comments were moderated, the northern Tasmanian school that the post related to was quickly identified, and a social media pile-on ensued.

The school was planning to change the name of its end-of-year event from Christmas on the Hill to End of Year Extravaganza. Despite the event's name change, the school's calendar still contained multiple Christmas-themed events.

The Tasmanian branch of the Australian Education Union (AEU) held an extraordinary meeting on Wednesday to discuss the matter and the "distress and harm caused".

It has called for a ban on visits by politicians and their representatives at government schools, until an apology is made by Mr Rockliff over the way the issue was handled publicly through his social media post.

"Parents and educators across the state are aghast that Premier Rockliff has not only refused to apologise for his action but has doubled down," AEU Tasmania branch president David Genford said.

"Such grubby politics and dangerous public actions must be condemned."

School parent says incident has affected students

Speaking on 936 ABC Hobart on Friday morning, the parent of a student from the school said she had written to Mr Rockliff to express her "outrage" and outline the impact it had had on the school community, including the students.

"And mostly, our amazing teachers and educational staff at the school who work tirelessly to put our children first and their needs first," she said.

The parent said it had been particularly disappointing to see the premier and members of his government "doubling down".

"For me, the leaders that I respect the most are the ones that can own when they're wrong,"she said.

The premier was asked yesterday about his social media posts and whether he should apologise.

He said he had the right to voice his opinion, and that his "public commentary has been very measured in these circumstances, and will always be very measured".

Mr Rockliff "utterly" rejected the allegation from the union that his actions constituted bullying.

"Everyone's got a right to have an opinion,"he said.

The premier has previously condemned any "attacks on any individual or school".

Statement from premier 'resonated', treasurer says

Treasurer Eric Abetz was one of multiple government MPs who also posted online about the importance of celebrating Christmas, appearing to refer to the school situation.

Mr Abetz posted an AI-generated image of a mother comforting her son about his cancelled nativity play, alongside words saying: "Is this what we want for our kids?"

Asked about the union's call for politicians to stay away from schools, Mr Abetz said: "Every single politician, irrespective of their political colour, loves our schools, loves the work our teachers do and are concerned for the good education of all our children."

"And of course, with the various end-of-year functions coming up, the parliamentary members will be at all the schools.

"In relation to the situation at a particular school, I would simply say the premier made a comment, which has resonated and I would say that that which he said reflects the status quo within the community at large."

Mr Rockliff's two social media posts about celebrating Christmas and his directions to the education department have attracted more than 2,000 comments, many of them in support of the premier.

"Stand your ground and under no circumstances apologise," one comment read.

Labor leader Josh Willie said he backed AEU members "wholeheartedly in the stand they're taking".

"Labor will respect the decision educators have made, and we'll always stand up for them," he said.

"The fix is simple: apologise, visit the school and support the staff and students."