New Identification and Enforcement Powers for School Attendance Officers
Education Legislation Amendment Bill 2025
Introduced by: The Hon Jo Hersey MLA (CLP)
Links to official parliament websites
Effects of this bill
If this bill passes, it means that:
The Debate
What different members said when this bill was debated:
Jo Hersey CLP
“Madam Speaker, I present a Bill titled the Education Legislation Amendment Bill 2025, Serial 14, and table the explanatory statement. I move that the Bill be now read a first time. In August last year the CLP government was elected with a strong mandate from Territorians to reduce crime, including to address the root causes of crime.”
Chanston Paech ALP
“Madam Speaker, I support the Member for Johnston’s request for referral to the scrutiny committee. We have heard numerous radio interviews with education experts about having greater input in the development of this Bill. This is important, as the government has claimed to be transparent and open.”
Steven Edgington CLP
“Madam Speaker, we clearly oppose the amendment put forward by the Member for Johnston. This was a commitment that we raised with Territorians before the election. We made it clear that we would be returning school attendance officers across the Northern Territory. This is an area where Labor has failed Territorians.”
Gerard Maley CLP
“Madam Speaker, I deliver the ministerial report on the update on NT Corrections, notified yesterday. The CLP came to office approximately five months ago. We were elected on a mandate to reduce crime, rebuild the economy and restore our lifestyle.”
Robyn Cahill CLP
“Madam Speaker, I support the amendments to the Education Act 2015. Attending school and actively participating in the school community is crucial for our children. The consequences of non-attendance are poor literacy, numeracy and outcomes, setting those children on a path that, if not interrupted, will likely see them, in a best-case scenario, doomed to a future dependent on welfare.”
Laurie Zio CLP
“Mr Deputy Speaker, I am excited to talk about a topic I know a lot about and have worked in. These important amendments are designed to consolidate powers and functions associated with enrolment and attendance, providing much-needed clarity and efficiency in our education system. I remind those opposite of a few things they may have forgotten about over the last eight years or so.”
Dheran Young ALP
“Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, welcome to the Chair for the first time. I hope you enjoy it and keep the Assembly under control when it is needed. It has been said many times in this Chamber that every school-aged child deserves a quality education that gives them the skills needed to turn every challenge they encounter in the world into an opportunity.”
Tanzil Rahman CLP
“Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, might I begin by congratulating you on your promotion to the Chair. You are the one member of the Assembly who I am seldom able to make eye contact with, and it is delightful to see your face in front of me for a change.”
“Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, I do not support the creation of truancy officers or fines for families whose children do not go to school. I do not support the Education Legislation Amendment Bill. This is a Closing the Gap issue, which requires the department and the government to look at priority reforms.”
“Mr Acting Deputy Speaker, this is an important Bill, and I congratulate the minister for bringing it forward. I pick up on some comments and suggestions in the Member for Nightcliff’s commentary. She seems to think that we have not consulted on these initiatives. I cannot believe she said that. She also thinks that we do not have a social licence to do this.”
Selena Uibo ALP
“Madam Speaker, the Territory Labor opposition firmly believes that every child deserves the opportunity to thrive, be safe and have a quality education, no matter their circumstances or abilities. This is and should be our greatest priority when it comes to safeguarding the Territory’s social and economic future: our kids.”
Oly Carlson CLP
“Madam Speaker, I support the Education Legislation Amendment Bill 2025. Although some of the changes are technical, education is crucial to empower all our children in the Territory. School attendance is mandatory for all children between the ages of six and 17 in the Northern Territory, and parents under the previous Labor government thought it was a choice to send their children to school.”
“Madam Speaker, I support the Education Legislation Amendment Bill 2025, which is designed to strengthen and enhance the Northern Territory’s educational framework. This Bill makes amendments to the Education Act 2015 and Education Regulations 2015, which are primarily of a technical nature aimed at improving regulatory clarity and enforcement mechanisms.”
Manuel Brown ALP
“Madam Speaker, I join my Labor colleagues in opposing the Education Legislation Amendment Bill. This legislation is a return to the CLP’s old approach to education; it is built on punishment rather than partnership, confrontation rather than collaboration and fear rather than genuine engagement.”