Minister for Education and the Arts John-Paul Langbroek (left) says the State Government’s $33 million anti-bullying strategy, which has been criticised by a Far North Queensland principal as a “band-aid” response, is only the first step in the plan to tackle bullying in schools across the state. Photo: Facebook (John-Paul Langbroek).
The state’s education minister has hit back at criticism a new $33 million anti-bullying initiative is a “band-aid” response to the growing schoolyard problem.
On 29 April, a Far North Queensland principal told Cape York Weekly they believed the State Government’s Rapid Support Squads would provide no real impact on the ground, a claim refuted by Minister for Education and the Arts John-Paul Langbroek.
“I want to assure the Cape York community that the Crisafulli government’s new five-point plan for bullying not only allows us to better respond to serious bullying incidents, but it also includes extra support for school staff and parents to address behavioural incidents before they turn into bullying,” he said.
“I also want to make it clear that our $33m anti-bullying strategy is just the start of our efforts in this four-year term to tackle this issue.
“Bullying is a scourge on our society – we recognise it is prevalent online, in the workplace, at sporting clubs, and in our schools.
He added an advisory group would provide direction to ensure collaboration between schools, government and non-government agencies in the bid to stamp out bullying.
“I know the quoted principal also expressed hopes that government and non-government agencies come together to address this growing issue; as part of our strategy, we are establishing an expert stakeholder group of government and non-government representatives to review key initiatives and advise on further anti-bullying measures in our schools and communities,” he said.
