Mike Gallacher
Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council, Shadow Minister for Police, Shadow Minister for the Hunter
Shadow Minister for Police Mike Gallacher has today expressed his deep concern over the revelation that the Education Minister was unaware of a casual teacher being charged with supplying drugs.
“It is most concerning that the Eduction Minister didn’t know a teacher working for her Department has been charged with supplying drugs to a minor,” Mr Gallacher said.
“This is either incompetence or a case of the Department intentionally trying to withhold information from the public.
“When the Director General was pressed on radio this morning as to why the Education Minister was not notified, the Director General put it down to an “operational” matter that was being dealt with.
ReplyDelete“Well the Government needs to realise that this is an “operational” matter they should have known about at the time, not weeks later.
“It is alarming that the Director General when questioned could not provide a date as to when this individual actually finished teaching at the school.
“Parents and the community at large would be very concerned that a teacher has been charged with such a serious offence.
“The fact that the Iemma Labor Government has no knowledge of the incident demonstrates the utter complacency of this Government and its inability to manage Departments and senior public servants.
“Parents have a right to know when serious charges are brought against a staff member working at their children’s school.
“What is worse is many parents first learnt of this serious incident through the media, and not through the Minister or official channels in the Eduction Department.
“At the end of the day this is just another alarming incident that the Government is trying to sweep under the carpet as it vainly attempts to fly under the radar,” Mr Gallacher concluded.