Opinion: Soapbox - Parental penalties do not prevent truancy

Truancy is not a new phenomenon, but an enduring and complex issue. Inreality, truancy has remained stable for the last 10 years, and mostyoung people attend school most of the time. When they're not, themajority are not committing crimes or indulging in under-age sex andillicit drug use.

Unfortunately, the law on truancy has never been sure whether it wants apunitive or a welfare approach, so what we have is a complicated andmessy legislative framework that is out of step with family life. In thecurrent system, parents are responsible, and so they should be, butresponsibility is not the same as authority. Can a parent of a15-year-old realistically be responsible for their school attendance?Are we suggesting young people are incapable of exercising choice? Thereare always exceptions and, undoubtedly, there are parents who areblameworthy, but the fact is most parental prosecutions are againstsingle parents of young people in Years 9, 10 and 11.