The Honourable Geoff Wilson
15/04/2010
MINISTERS DECIDE ON NATIONAL DAY OF ACTION AGAINST BULLYING
A National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence will be held on the third Friday in March each year, Education and Training Minister Geoff Wilson announced in Sydney today.
Mr Wilson said Australia's Education Ministers agreed to support Queensland's proposal for an annual community awareness campaign on bullying at the Ministerial Council for Education, Early Childhood Development and Youth Affairs (MCEECDYA) meeting.
"The consequences of bullying, including cyber bullying and youth violence, affect schools and communities throughout Australia. This is such an important issue that requires concerted, cooperative action by the whole community to work out a solution," he said.
"Queensland and most other states and territories are working hard to deal with these difficult and complex problems in schools by developing strategies and guidelines.
"A national day of action would showcase the positive work governments, schools and students are doing to combat this type of inappropriate behaviour."
Mr Wilson said the Bligh Government is determined to maintain schools as safe places for students to learn and teachers to teach.
"State schools use a range of approaches to combat bullying. These include
Schoolwide Positive Behaviour Support, following the Department of Education and Training's Code of School Behaviour and they have a Responsible Behaviour Plan for Students," he said.
"Last year we asked internationally-acclaimed bullying expert Dr Ken Rigby to tell us how to further strengthen the strategies all schools use to deal with bullying.
"One of his suggestions was that we bring together people who have first-hand experience of dealing with this issue to recommend innovative, effective and practical solutions for schools.
"So we formed the Queensland Schools Alliance Against Violence, made up of representatives of Catholic, independent and state schools; principals' associations; union organisations; parents' groups; and the Commission for Children, Young People and Child Guardian."
Mr Wilson said the Alliance had already agreed on and is in the process of implementing a number of initiatives to tackle bullying.
"Anti-bullying forums hosted by psychologist Dr Michael Carr-Gregg are planned for 10 regions around the state, vodcasts and other resources have been made available online to schools and the Alliance has also endorsed in-principle the recommendations from Dr Ken Rigby's report into bullying," he said.
"A national day of awareness, like these initiatives, would help to improve responses to bullying, violence and behaviour management in schools."
MCEECDYA meets several times a year to consider matters in its area of responsibility.
