Govt turns to police officer to run schools
The State Government has turned to a former assistant commissioner of police, Tony Harrison, in an attempt to restore confidence in the state’s embattled education department.
Effective immediately, Harrison will be the new chief executive of the Department for Education and Child Development.
He replaces Keith Bartley, an Englishman hired by Premier Jay Weatherill in 2011 when Weatherill was education minister.
Weatherill said today that Bartley had resigned due to his health and family reasons.
Harrison is Director-General of Community Safety, but has had a long career in the SA Police where he established the sexual crimes investigation branch.
Weatherill made it clear that Harrison’s appointment was about restoring confidence in the education department, in the wake of the damning Debelle report into the department’s handling of a sexual abuse case at a western suburbs primary school.
The Premier said Harrison would both “reassure and lead”.
“We want to send a clear message to parents about their confidence in their children’s safety and well-being,” Weatherill said.
“Mr Harrison has been given a clear mandate to work with police to address the issues that lie at the heart of the Debelle report.”
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Harrison said he had been approached about taking on the role late last week.
Current head of schools in the department, former high school principal Garry Costello, will be responsible for school education and curriculum in a new position of chief education officer.
The Debelle report heavily criticised the education department and Bartley has been involved in industrial processes to explore whether action should be taken against individual staff members.
