It’s certainly one that could apply to moves by the state government in terms of our education system.

Much has been said and written about it recently – the majority focussing on how we stack up against the rest of the country.

Recently, the state government announced it was proposing to make a number of changes to the Education Act – changes it says are necessary to bring about positive change.

One of the more contentious issues relates to the age at which Tasmanian children start their schooling. Premier Will Hodgman says Tasmanian children aren’t given the same opportunities as other children around Australia because we currently have the oldest minimum starting age nationally.

The government is proposing to lower the compulsory starting age for prep by six months – from five to four-and-a-half. It’s a change that will bring Tasmania in line with the rest of the country. It’s a move supported by the Tasmanian Chamber of Commerce and Industry. 

"Tasmania has the highest school starting age of all the Australian states. This results in a larger proportion of Tasmanian students reaching the age at which they can legally leave school at a lower grade than in other parts of Australia," chamber chair Susan Parr said this week.

The government says the evidence shows that quality early learning has significant benefits that continue on throughout the entirety of a child’s schooling years.

The push back against the move came, not surprisingly, from Labor’s education spokeswoman Michelle O'Byrne. Her argument is that forcing very young children into a formal school setting could be detrimental.

She cited a New Zealand study that showed introducing young children to formal literacy learning did not improve their reading development. In fact, the report claims that over a longer period, it could be damaging.

The starting age and a raft of other proposed changes to the Educaiton Act are still just that - proposals. Whether starting a child in formal education six months earlier than what we currently do will have a significant positive outcome is yet to be determined.

But surely doing nothing in regards to our education system, and hoping for an improvement, is not in the best interests of anyone - particularly our children.