Not cutting it

MONDAY’S Mercury article, Boag’s Trouble Brewing, again highlights the hypocrisy by our current government. We now hear that Boag’s Brewery had foreshadowed their concerns with government.

Now that Boag's has announced the unpopular public decision to close their visitor experience, the Premier has expressed his disappointment with the company.

As the founding owner of a popular laser tag business, I have also put forward my concerns to government regarding the decision by the Department of Education, Children and Young People to ban laser tag for public schools back in 2019.

Although the department partially amended the policy due to the public outcry, the department’s new policy has had a detrimental effect on the laser tag industry in Tasmania.

Since the policy change, two laser tag businesses have permanently closed, with a third centre now under a not-for-profit structure.

Former Education ministers Jeremy Rockliff and Sarah Courtney, and now current Minister Roger Jaensch have either ignored or declined to meet laser tag representatives to discuss concerns relating to the policy’s effect to the laser tag industry.

It’s incredibly naive to have government policy block access to a product that engages students and promotes teamwork and helps foster relationships with other students. We are the only state in Australia that has a policy to stop laser tag.

While Tasmanian public schools are being penalised, private schools, interstate schools and local specialised programs that support disengaged youth can still access our services.

Tasmania’s Liberal government is simply not accessible for the average punter or small business.

Jonathan Simonetis

Dromedary