The new truant officers in Darwin. Picture: supplied
Truant officers are back on patrol in the Northern Territory with new powers to fine parents $370 for not sending their children to school.
The NT government says the new school attendance officers began patrols earlier this month. Parents could be fined or even prosecuted.
Education Minister Jo Hersey says no parent has the right to deprive their child of a future.
“Parents who fail to send their children to school without a valid reason will face fines of $370, compulsory case conferences, and in extreme cases prosecution,” she says.
“We will also work with the Commonwealth on referring families who continue to deprive their children of an education for income management for neglecting their children.”
Hersey says parents have a legal obligation to keep their children in schools.
“A child’s future starts at school,” she says.
The officers will also help parents who need help to connect with the relevant services.
The education minister also had a dig at the former Labor government for abolishing truancy officers.
From 2016 to 2023, annual attendance in the Barkly region dropped from 62 per cent to 46 per cent; in the Big Rivers region, attendance dropped from 71 per cent to 58 per cent over the same period; in the Central region, it dropped to 66 per cent and in the East Arnhem region, dropped to 54 per cent, she says.
“The previous Labor Government failed to enforce the law and so far in 2024 issued just 25 fines to parents who failed to send their children to school despite shockingly low attendance rates across the Territory,” said Hersey.
The truant officers will patrol known hangouts for school-aged children during school hours including shopping malls, retail outlets, public housing and public spaces.
Hersey recently joined a compliance patrol of the Palmerston CBD by the new officers.
