Page 4266 - Week 12 - Wednesday, 23 October 2019
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Notably, the advisory committee report emphasises the importance of genuine and full commitment to the policies and frameworks that are already in place to ensure their success. There can be risk in diverting from the path or adopting additional courses of action too soon. The advisory committee report provides assurances that the government is on the right track but notes that we must stay the course. The advisory committee report helpfully provides independent external observations about areas where the government can improve or adjust its approach. I thank each member of the advisory committee for their work. In particular, I acknowledge Sue Chapman as chair of the committee.
The ACT government has also responded today to the Standing Committee on Education, Employment and Youth Affairs report from its inquiry into the management and minimisation of bullying and violence in schools. It is relevant for members to note that this response comes just one month after the standing committee report was released, three months earlier than is required under the Assembly standing orders. I acknowledge the significant community interest in these reports and the expectation that the government is promptly acting on the advice it has received. The government is doing so. The standing committee made 23 recommendations. Of these, the government response agrees to 12 recommendations, agrees in principle to nine, and notes two recommendations.
The standing committee found that incidents of bullying and violence in ACT schools are not frequent and that schools experience similar challenges to other parts of society in relation to bullying and violence. However, any instance of bullying and violence in a school is unwelcome and must be managed appropriately. I also appreciate the standing committee’s useful guidance on the opportunities to strengthen the government’s response to this issue.
I acknowledge the personal stories shared with the standing committee. My concern through the public debate on this issue was that individual students and schools were not further harmed. It was for this reason that I asked the Assembly to agree to the standing committee receiving some evidence in camera. I acknowledge the families who brought their stories to the committee’s attention and I know that in some cases these families have also brought their experiences to the government’s attention. I want to assure them that the government is treating their experiences seriously and will work hard to address them.
The government is keen to ensure that the community has confidence in the mechanisms to bring these issues forward. For this reason, the Education Directorate is currently redesigning its complaints management and case coordination process, which aims to include an online solution that will give families the opportunity to log their complaint and track its process.
As both government responses detail, we are continuing to work to create safe and supportive school environments for all students, teachers and staff, through the safe and supportive schools policy and the implementation of PBL in all ACT public schools. As I have said before, while the prevention and management of bullying in schools is not a new issue, it is an area that requires constant vigilance and review.
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