School Bullying

Ms WORTLEY (Torrens) (16:09): I rise to speak briefly about a topic that I raised in my first speech in this place, and that the Malinauskas government has made considerable progress on, particularly through the Minister for Education. Bullying is a complex topic, with issues often arising well beyond the school gate. Every incident of bullying is concerning; it must be taken seriously and responses put in place. There are no short-term solutions to eliminate it. However, actions taken to reduce the incidence of bullying in our schools can be life changing, both for the victim and their family, and the perpetrator.

There is no other issue that impacts in such a significantly negative way on families with school-aged children. It can result in lifelong consequences and, sadly, lead on to acts of violence, including domestic violence, poor self-image and mental health, self-harm and even suicide. Addressing this issue requires a multifaceted approach, involving schools, governments, parents and individuals, to create a safer and more supportive culture.

I am pleased to say that our government has acted to address the scourge of bullying. In our first year in government, we held the violence prevention roundtable, followed by the student summit in 2023, and the release of the Safe and Supportive Learning Environments—Plan of Action. We introduced the mobile phone ban in 2023. I remember being at a school assembly, and the students were not that pleased about it, but when I went back after 12 months and had that discussion again they were pretty well pleased with the result. Of course, that has resulted in a lower frequency of critical incidents involving devices happening at schools. So I suppose these are my final words in this place, but there are a couple of other things I would like to mention.

First of all, I would like to offer comments about the future: our children's future and for generations beyond. Over the years, when I have spoken to a gathering of children and young people in my role as a teacher or member of parliament, our environment is always on the agenda. There is no greater wake-up call to understanding the importance of actively caring for our environment than what we are currently experiencing around the world, with changes to weather patterns and to our ocean. Whatever the cause, when the environment around us reacts in such a way that it impacts on our way of life and that of the creatures and plant life we share the planet with, we know there is more to be done. While major projects and policy are for governments to implement, there is much that can be done by individuals and communities, and we can each play a role.

I want to thank the chamber today for its indulgence. I would like to take the opportunity to wish my staff and my colleagues here a wonderful Christmas and a particularly wonderful new year leading to March, I hope, for my colleagues. I thank my residents and wish them a wonderful Christmas and new year 2026. It has been an honour to be their voice in our parliament.