Truancy officers have started patrols this month in the NT and will be issuing $370 fines to parents who fail to send their kids to school, as part of the CLP Finocchiaro Government’s crime reduction plan, which the government said could also see families referred to the Federal Government for income management or prosecuted.

While truancy officers were on the books under Labor, the CLP accused the previous government of failing to fully utilise them to ensure children were sent to school.

The truancy officers, now called “School Attendance Officers”, have begun their patrols this month and will be issuing the fines, the government said, and in extreme cases, prosecuting parents who habitually fail to ensure their kids are at school, while also working with the Federal Government to refer families for income management if necessary.

“The CLP Government is introducing new School Attendance Officers across the Territory to hold parents accountable if they break the law and fail to send their children to school,” Minister for Education and Training Jo Hersey said.

“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.”

School Attendance Offices will conduct patrols in areas where school-aged children are likely to be during school hours, such as shopping precincts, retail outlets, public housing complexes, and public spaces, Ms Hersey said.

“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,” she said.

Ms Hersey stated that parents who do not send their children to school without a legitimate reason may incur fines, be required to attend mandatory case conferences, and, in severe circumstances, face prosecution. She also said that the CLP would collaborate with the Commonwealth to refer families who consistently deny their children an education to income management due to neglect.

She said no parent had the right to deprive their child of a future.

From 2016 to 2023, annual attendance in various regions fell significantly, the government said, including in Barkly from 62 per cent to 46 per cent, Big Rivers from 71 per cent to 58 per cent, the Central region to 66 per cent and the East Arnhem region to 54 per cent.

“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,” Ms Hersey said.

Chief Minister Lia Finocchiaro said school attendance is a key element of the government’s plan to tackle crime.

“We saw those [attendance] numbers fall away as a result of that [inaction],” she said. “Now the proof will be in the pudding. The CLP’s plans will be able to be measured on publicly available attendance data, and we look forward to that scrutiny and watching the trend change over the years.

“This is all part of our plan to reduce crime, because we know if kids are at school, then they have an opportunity to have a future life, not a life of crime.”