Dear Sir,

Although we have an Education Act specifying that children of compulsory school age MUST attend school unless specifically exempt – every day in the greater Darwin area we see school aged children wandering around “all day, every day” and being denied an education – what action is Minister Lawler and her well-paid advisors taking?

Clearly NOTHING.

Yes – many of them may need special assistance – SO PROVIDE IT.

Many of them may well be under the “care” (haha) of the Minister for Families.

When the over-stressed police now return very young children engaged in alleged criminal behaviour to the “care” of their families or the relevant department do they ask which school the child attends and pass that information on to be checked?

I guess the answer is NO.

And so these vulnerable children are left without an education….. without a meaningful future and this government shuts its collective eyes to this ticking time bomb.

So very sad.

Dawn Lawrie AM JP, Nightcliff