Jeremy Rockliff was never the right-wing populist; he took the high road.

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He was one of the few Liberal leaders to back the Voice. He recently spoke out against anti-migrant policies. Tasmanians have long respected his statesman-like approach to issues.

That makes his descent into shallow, outrage politics so disappointing.

A public school decided to rename its annual "Christmas on the Hill" event to "Holiday on the Hill" to be more inclusive. The Premier seized the chance to play the culture-war hero.

Rather than asking basic questions, Mr Rockliff worked with a media organisation to contrive the narrative that he was stepping in to "save Christmas".

It was clickbait, and a school paid the price. An acting principal was unfairly named and shamed.

Did his advisers convince him this was a vote-winner? They clearly banked on the outrage drowning out the facts.

The school's decision was an attempt to recognise that their students come from diverse backgrounds.

Yet for many, the panic over this issue stemmed less from religious belief and more from an unfounded fear of changing traditions.

But let's look at the nuance missing in the Premier's claim. He........

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