Labor has accused the government of cutting the education budget by stealth by requiring the department to delivering new child safeguarding officers in schools without new funding.
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This year's budget contained $26.1 million over for years to enable a safeguarding officer to be employed in every state school.
At a budget estimates hearing on Monday, Labor leader Rebecca White said 2022-23 budget stated the new initiative was funded within existing resources.
She said requiring the department to deliver new initiatives through its existing budget impacted its ability to perform core functions.
Premier Jeremy Rockliff said the initiative would be funded from a 10-year bilateral agreement signed with the federal government in 2017.
"We have growth funding over the course of the next 10 years of which we can support increased services and service delivery within the Department of Education," he said.
Mr Rockliff said funding provided to schools was to increase each year over 10 years with the government to commit an additional $340 million to state schools over that period.
Mr Rockliff could not say whether the safeguarding officers would be newly recruited or whether the Education Department's existing workforce would fill the roles.
Ms White said the funding for the bilateral agreement was forecast in the budget allocation last year so it was not new money for a new initiative.
Labor's education spokesman Josh Willie later said the officers were a key response to recommendations of the Inquiry into the Education Department's Responses to Child Sexual Abuse.
"Despite this being the hallmark of a major announcement Premier Rockliff made less than two weeks ago and saying it is a big part of what he wants to achieve, there's not a single cent to achieve it," he said.
Under questioning from Greens leader Cassy O'Connor, Mr Rockliff said 31 state service workers had been stood down from their positions since 2020 following allegations of child sexual abuse against them.
He said 21 of the suspensions related to historical allegations and 10 related to contemporary allegations.
Mr Rockliff said 20 cases related to public servants in the North and 11 in the South.
He said the development of child-safe organisations framework for government departments was ongoing and a new statutory authority would be established next year and completed the year after.
Mr Rockliff said the government was expecting to introduce a bill by November to legislate for new child safe standards and the establishment of reportable conduct scheme.
Political reporter for Australian Community Media, based in Hobart.
Political reporter for Australian Community Media, based in Hobart.
