Question and Answer – Premier’s Social Media Post Contributes to Psychosocial Hazard for School Staff

October 27, 2026

Meg Webb MLC asked the following Question taken On Notice, 27 October 2026, regarding the Premier’s social media post commenting on a primary’s school end of year event name change, which has contributed to a psychosocial hazard in the work environment of that school’s leaders and staff.

Ms WEBB question to MINISTER for EDUCATION, Ms PALMER
[2.50 p.m.]
In similar vein, on 2 October 2026, a northern primary school sent a newsletter to families noting the name of its December fundraising raffle was being changed from ‘Christmas on the Hill’ to ‘End-of-Year Extravaganza’. Other Christmas references remained in the newsletter and on the school schedule. On 14 October 2026, Premier Jeremy Rockliff published a social media post stating ‘the school had made efforts to remove all references to Christmas in end-of-year school celebrations’, and asked the department to step in.
As a predictable result of the social media post from the Premier, there was an avalanche of public vitriol expressed towards the school, its staff and the acting principal, such to necessitate extra security measures at the school. In subsequent days, the Premier doubled down on the post, refused to apologise for it and the public backlash it had triggered, and the harm caused to the school, its staff and the acting principal.
My questions to the minister are this: clearly the Premier, with his posts and his refusal to apologise for them, has contributed to a psychosocial hazard in the work environment of that school’s leaders and staff, so I’d like to have you confirm that a psychosocial hazard or injury has been logged in your system in your department. Given that when a psychosocial injury has been logged in the system, it’s the responsibility of line managers to mitigate against that happening again, I would like to know how you expect the leaders in your department to mitigate against the psychosocial hazard of political decisions made about social media posts by the Premier of the state?

The Minister for Education took this question on notice.