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House of Assembly - Fifty-First Parliament, Third Session (51-3)
2009-06-03 Daily Xml
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CYBERBULLYING

Ms THOMPSON (Reynell) (14:24): Can the Minister for Education inform the house of the new powers of principals to protect their students from cyberbullying?

The Hon. J.D. LOMAX-SMITH (Adelaide—Minister for Education, Minister for Mental Health and Substance Abuse, Minister for Tourism, Minister for the City of Adelaide) (14:25): I thank the member for Reynell for her question. I know she has a great interest in student welfare and has taken a particular interest in bullying because, like all of us here, we understand that bullying is common within our community, the workplace and domestic situations. It is one of those areas where schools are a microcosm of life in the big wide world. It is true to say that bullying confronts schools in the government, Catholic and independent sectors and we, as a community, across all education sectors, have worked together to reduce this societal problem.

In an initiative that I announced last week that has already been heralded as a national first, I explained to people that we had given a direction to principals that, in order to protect their students from cyberbullying, they would have more powers to take action even when the bullying occurred outside or beyond the school gates.

Principals have been informed that they are able to suspend or exclude students who threaten the safety or wellbeing of other students regardless of whether it occurs in schools or outside. In addition, principals can confiscate mobile phones from students and hand them in to police as evidence if there is a reasonable suspicion that the phone has been used to record a crime.

Initiatives such as these, as well as the raft of other measures that have been introduced in South Australia to combat cyberbullying, have led to this state being recognised and congratulated as a national leader in the area by world-renowned academics and experts such as Dr Michael Carr-Gregg and Professor Donna Cross.

In addition, the most recent research into covert bullying, conducted by Edith Cowan University in conjunction with the University of South Australia, suggests that our crackdown on bullying in schools is working effectively to reduce bullying. In this research, which surveyed 7,000 students from 124 schools across the country, South Australia was demonstrated to have the lowest rate of all forms of bullying across sectors and the lowest rate of covert bullying in state schools in the nation.

The prevalence of bullying in South Australia is also below the national average. South Australia was indeed the first state to raise the matter of cyberbullying and to inform principals about this issue. We also provided comprehensive anti-bullying packages and teacher training to every school in the state. This government has worked tirelessly to keep students cybersafe. This includes the development and implementation of the Keeping Safe Child Protection Curriculum, which was introduced in 2007. Between 2006 and 2008, 17,000 teachers across the state have been trained to use this curriculum.

The curriculum includes content on using modern technologies safely. The Keeping Safe Child Protection Curriculum has been mandatory in all DECS schools since 2008 after extensive consultation, trialling and refinement, and it has attracted widespread interest and commendation from other states and territories.

The Coalition to Decrease Bullying, Harassment and Violence was developed in 2005 to bring the three schooling sectors together with eminent researchers to provide expert advice on critical issues concerning student safety. I referred the issue of cyberbullying to the coalition in 2008, and it subsequently provided a number of recommendations which we are following to ensure that all students are cybersafe.

With the coalition's help, a pamphlet about cyberbullying and e-crime has been developed with SA Police and NetAlert and 150,000 copies produced. This document recognised that cyberbullying is an issue confronting schools and helped to give teachers concrete examples to explain to their students what actually constitutes an e-crime and what the penalties are for such acts.

There are ample areas within the law that cover a whole range of issues that might be regarded as e-crime, and I would recommend this document to those in the house who would like to understand the legal implications, the fines and the level of imprisonment possible in a case of e-crime. This is an important step as children may not realise that their actions in this medium are actually criminal. A minority of children are, in fact, involved in e-crime but it is an area that we need to understand and explain to children widely.

The finishing touches are being put on the information package called 'Cyber Safety: Keeping Children Safe in a Connected World', and it is currently out for consultation. The new materials that are being produced will advise schools, teachers and parents about legislation, policies and practices, protection and safety. The Australian Communications and Media Authority has indicated that our materials are unique in Australia because of their comprehensive approach to cyberbullying issues. I congratulate the staff involved in these strategies and the Coalition against Bullying for giving us the very best advice available in Australia and for the effect that it has had in our community.

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