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House of Assembly - Fifty-Fifth Parliament, First Session (55-1)
2025-08-21 Daily Xml
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Bullying No Way

Ms WORTLEY (Torrens) (15:36): Last week was Bullying No Way, an important week in the calendar, and many of our schools organised events and focused on various aspects of bullying: what it is, its impact, how it can make people feel, and what can be done when confronted with it. An Australian initiative, Bullying No Way is aimed at preventing bullying in schools and communities, and providing resources and support for students, educators and families.

It is a proactive approach to bullying prevention and education, supporting Australian school communities with evidence-informed resources and activities. The initiative aims to create safe and inclusive learning environments, helping to prevent bullying and providing support for those affected by it. It emphasises the role of parents and caregivers in addressing bullying behaviours and fostering a supportive atmosphere for children.

This year the theme was 'Be bold, be kind, speak up'. This puts me in mind of the song Caught in the Crowd by Kate Miller-Heidke that I had the good fortune of seeing performed as part of a dance routine by secondary school students. The lyrics tell the story of a student bystander who, despite having a brief connection racing to school with a student, ultimately turns away when the same student is physically attacked by others in the schoolyard. The song reflects on the narrator's regret for not intervening, and their feelings of shame and remorse for their inaction and not acting as a friend and standing up for the bullied student.

The lyrics also reflect on the narrator's youth and naivety at the time, and the internal conflict that arises from witnessing such events and not having the courage to intervene. The words are:

I was young and caught in the crowd, I didn't know then what I know now, I was dumb and I was proud and I'm sorry.

This song, performed by the dance students, had a powerful impact and it was a great way to open up the conversation. This is so important because research shows that children and young people often do not reveal that they are being bullied: not to their parents or their carers and, in some circumstances, not even to their friends.

We have learnt that often the consequences impact them not only at the time but throughout their life and, sadly, in some cases the young person being bullied sees no escape except to end their life. I have met with parents who have, sadly, faced this reality. I recall the launch of the inaugural Bullying No Way campaign with then minister Peter Garrett in a school in Queensland. It coincided with the launch of the 500-page report, High Wire Act—Cyber Safety and the Young, delivered by the Joint Select Committee on Cyber Safety that I had the privilege of chairing.

Having been exposed to many families, teachers and students concerned about cyber safety, I had vigorously pursued the establishment of the committee which inquired into the online environment in which Australian children engage. A total of 34,000 young Australians between the ages of five and 17 participated in the committee's online survey, the biggest in the world on young people and cyber safety. There were three round tables with industry, academics, law enforcement agencies, non-government organisations, parents, professional bodies and public hearings. It was not long into hearings that we learnt that bullying was the highest level of concern by both parents and students.

While there are programs in schools to address the issue of bullying, social media continues to be a challenge. Our government understands this and has introduced legislation that goes some way into addressing this. Of course, we have the banning of mobile phones in our schools—very successfully so.

In the way that for generations domestic violence was not spoken about by its victims, so too many victims of bullying maintain their silence. We have had for a number of years now a national day of action against bullying and violence initiated by education ministers. This is a step in the right direction; however, it needs to be extended to include the whole community. There is much more that needs to be done to address this issue.

The national week of action supports schools to work with parents, students and their school communities to find solutions to bullying and violent behaviour. The Bullying No Way initiative provides a variety of resources for educators, parents and students that can be accessed at bullyingnoway.gov.au.

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