The New South Wales Schools Advisory Council will be convened in the first week of December to begin work on a statewide approach to address bullying in New South Wales schools, as the Minns Labor Government puts its support behind advocate calls for a national approach to the issue.

The New South Wales Schools Advisory Council represents over 3,120 schools across the state and includes representatives from all education sectors. Whilst all schools are required to have an anti-bullying policy, in an acknowledgement of the gravity and universality of this issue all have agreed that action is needed.

This follows ongoing community conversations about the need to lift the standards of behaviours, and in particular responses to bullying in schools across New South Wales, to ensure every child feels safe and supported at their schools. 

Whilst every school community is different, the establishment of a statewide approach to bullying will aim to address the common factors which lead to this type of behaviour and outline the expected response from all schools.

The Minns Labor Government is committed to ensuring students across New South Wales are able to positively engage with their school communities, with action already taken including:

• Banning mobile phones in all NSW Public schools, with a recent survey showing that 86 per cent of principals believing socialising has improved since this came into effect. 
• Implementing a new, stronger behaviour policy which provides teachers and principals with the authority they need to appropriately manage student behaviour. 
• Introduced a revised school curriculum which includes lessons on bullying, respectful relationships and consent education.
• Hosted a Social Media Summit alongside the South Australian Government, and supported the Federal Government’s decision to raise the minimum age for social media to 16. 
• Recruited 92 new school counsellors and psychologists since the beginning of this year.
• Launched the Spotlight on Cyberbullying Website which provides free and easily accessibly cyberbullying resources for parents, carers, teachers and schools. 

New South Wales Schools Advisory Council Members:

• Prue Car, Deputy Premier and the Minister for Education and Early Learning
• Margery Evans, Chief Executive of the Association of Independent Schools of NSW
• Dallas McInerney, Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Schools NSW
• Murat Dizdar, Secretary of the NSW Department of Education

Chris Minns, Premier of New South Wales said, “In the past bullying may have been seen as a localised problem, but the truth is that this is a scourge that is affecting children across every type of school.

“While we support a nationally consistent approach, we know that may take some time, so we are not waiting, and we are exploring what we can do here in New South Wales immediately.

“We have heard some devastating stories of bullying in New South Wales schools and we genuinely understand the responsibility we have as a government to do everything that we can to make a difference in this space.”

Prue Car, Deputy Premier and Minister for Education and Early Learning said, “We all have a crucial role to play in supporting safe and inclusive environments and helping to strengthen community harmony.  

“All of the school sectors take reports of bullying seriously and are committed to ensuring students, parents, carers and staff can thrive in every school community.  

“The Minns Labor Government is committed to supporting the mental health and wellbeing of our students, including ensuring that all NSW schools have zero tolerance for bullying.”

Margery Evans, Chief Executive of the Association of Independent Schools of NSW said, “No school or sector is immune from bullying. We look forward to working with our Catholic and government school counterparts to strengthen in any way we can the proactive measures schools have in place to try to prevent bullying.” 

Dallas McInerney, Chief Executive Officer of Catholic Schools NSW said, “There is no time for delay; kids only ever get one chance at childhood, and it shouldn’t be marred by bullying.” 

“The Premier’s call to action has been heard, the time for excuses has ended.

“The upcoming School Advisory Council meeting is the opportunity for a renewed focus, and we need to respond. Our students deserve nothing less.”

Murat Dizdar, Secretary of the NSW Department of Education said, “I welcome the opportunity to work with my colleagues in the non-government sector to ensure every child, no matter where they attend school, learns in a safe and respectful environment.”

“In NSW public schools we have zero tolerance of all forms of bullying, which we know can happen inside and outside the school gates as well as online.

“Developing a consistent statewide approach and working with our respective parent communities to model the behaviour we want our children to emulate will play a key role in reducing the incidences of bullying.”