A decision to ban school excursions to certain activities including laser tag is bureaucracy gone mad.
Shadow Minister for Education and Early Years, Josh Willie, said the Education Minister Jeremy Rockliff failed to consult with the wider community before implementing the ban.
"The Education Department's decision to update its "unsuitable activities" policy to include activities like laser skirmish has come as a surprise to many school communities," Mr Willie said.
"If laser skirmish is an unsuitable activity for children, what's next? Will the Government then ban playground games that simulate conflict like cops and robbers or capture the flags?
"This decision could have serious implications for the local businesses who run these activities and also deny students from participating in fun team building events.
"Tasmania is the only state in the country to take this stance and as a former teacher, I know these decisions are best left with professional educators and their school communities - not departmental officials.
"We need to stop and think about whether there is any merit in this ban or whether we should just let kids be kids."
Josh Willie MLC
Shadow Minister for Education and Early Years
