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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-07-07 Daily Xml
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Adjournment Debate

SCHOOL VIOLENCE AND BULLYING

Ms THOMPSON (Reynell) (16:35): I had not finished talking about the issue of bullying, so I am sure the house will be pleased to hear some more about this important issue, because it is incumbent on every one of us to take a role in the community, particularly in our schools, to see this evil practice stamped out.

It is my contention that bullying in schools leads to violence in relationships, and violence in relationships is something that is damaging to all members concerned in that relationship. It puts strain on the family around them as well as the immediate participants. It should be remembered that domestic violence is also a cause of harm to animals and is therefore quite a comprehensive evil in our society. Many millions of days and many millions of dollars are in lost in productivity through domestic violence each year. Our hospitals treat too many people as a result of domestic violence, and it generally undermines the wellbeing and relationships in our community.

This week, the Minister for Education released a report by an eminent South Australian, Bill Cossey, entitled 'Review of procedures and processes in Department of Education and Children's Services (DECS) related to bullying and violence in schools'. This report again reinforces the fact that, while bullying is a problem in all schools in all communities, South Australia is, in fact, doing very well and that, given this good starting basis, we have every opportunity to continually refine our policies and procedures and our understanding of bullying and the damage it does not only to those who are bullied but also to those who do the bullying.

It is most rare, I think, that people who act as bullies, people who perpetrate domestic violence, are happy, healthy participants in our community. The member for Little Para, through his experience as a police officer, would have seen too much of the damage caused by domestic violence in our community.

Some of the interesting and important messages from the Cossey report include the fact that the community, fortunately, is increasing its level of concern about bullying and violence. What was tolerated in the past is no longer tolerated, and we can only be pleased about that; but that means that our school staff, teachers, volunteers and visitors to schools, as well as the support structures in the education department, are having to retrain and re-evaluate the way they have handled situations in the past.

Another factor which makes bullying more complex is the increased number of students with disabilities in schools. About 10 per cent of students in South Australian state schools are identified as having a disability, and quite frequently that is a disability in terms of communication. We know that children who suffer from Aspergers and autism behave differently in a perfectly reasonable situation. Staff need to be very skilled not only in handling that situation themselves but also in guiding other students how to behave respectfully towards children with a disability. In the section trying to define the dimension of the problem, Mr Cossey states:

Whilst the number of critical incidents reported in DECS schools each year is a small proportion of the number of students (in 2010 there were 1,974 incidents reported as critical against a total DECS school population of approximately 165,000 students), the community needs assurance that everything possible is being done by DECS to minimise this number. Again, this is consistent with what DECS and its schools aim to achieve.

In the section 'South Australia is not alone', Mr Cossey notes, 'Education systems throughout Australia and across the world are faced with similar problems and challenges,' and he emphasises again that:

…international evidence strongly indicates that Australian and South Australian schools are amongst the safest in the world.

There has been some speculation as to whether the incidence of bullying and related violence is on the increase and whether it is higher in DECS schools than in interstate schools. Enquiries made of researchers during this review revealed that the research to date suggests that, overall, bullying in schools is not increasing and may even be slightly in decline although, as discussed [elsewhere] there is an apparent shift towards more cyber bullying. Research also indicates that cyber bullying and face to face bullying are not mutually exclusive activities

He concludes this section by saying:

However, there is no doubt that any level of bullying is too high and the community's tolerance of it is decreasing.

The fact that the community is feeling differently in terms of bullying and general fighting at schools—which was certainly part of what I saw as a child at school, and what my brothers talked about—is no longer tolerated is a sign, I hope, that Australians are not tolerating bullying and violence of any sort and that that will translate into peace and harmony in our homes.

In respect of the fairly new area of cyber bullying, Professor Donna Cross from Queensland said, 'Academic research already conducted in Australia is still progressing,' but so far it indicates that:

Although the overall incidence of bullying is not increasing, cyber bullying is increasing whereas face to face bullying is in decline;

More than 80% of students who have been bullied or who have initiated bullying activities have been involved in both face to face and cyber bullying;

Face to face bullying starts in the early years of primary school and peaks at the point of transition to secondary school before declining whereas cyber bullying continues to increase through secondary school.

There is more and more vital material in the work of Professor Donna Cross and in the report of Mr Bill Cossey. I am pleased that the education department and the minister are responding to this and looking at ways of continually updating already excellent policies.


At 16:43 the house adjourned until Tuesday 26 July 2011 at 11:00.


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