Rising to the challenge of ending bullying

IT’S time to look beyond the controversy about Safe Schools and put kids first.

One thing that most people on all sides of this discussion would agree on is that our children and young people deserve to be safe and protected from harm, bullying and discrimination.

The sad fact is that young LGBTI people continue to experience stigma, discrimination and even violence associated with their sexual orientation or gender identity or the way they look.

Australian research shows that LGBTI young people are at greater risk of low selfesteem, mental health problems, self-harm and indeed tragically, at times, suicide. This is unacceptable. In my role as the Commissioner for Children and Young People I have heard from LGBTI young people who have shared their experiences of being bullied and at times injured because of their sexuality.

Now, the question is what will replace Safe Schools in those states that have chosen not to fund it, including Tasmania.

My hope is that we can develop a new program that is even better and implement it with wide community support.

This hope is based on the fact that Tasmania, over the years, has led significant reform in this space.

Tasmania was the first state in Australia to establish an LGBTI reference group in the Education Department. Tasmania also was the first state to have guidelines about reducing bullying of LGBTI young people in schools.

There has also been a significant level of professional development for teachers on how to better support LGBTI young people.

In 1999 Working It Out was established, with Government funding, and has achieved many great outcomes in schools.

Let’s keep building on these great achievements to ensure Tasmania’s LGBTI young people have the same outcomes as other young people.

So, what is the best way forward from here?

The first step is to ensure all teachers and principals have professional development in how to challenge prejudice and bullying against LGBTI students, and how to better support these students.

All educationalists want their schools to be inclusive and we should be supporting them to gain the skills and confidence they need to foster

Morrissey Mark

this inclusion.

We also need to be educating students. The evidence is clear that punishing bullies is ineffective and that only education of students can reduce levels of bullying.

Parents are also critical to fostering more inclusion in schools and should be involved in whatever steps schools take to challenge bullying against LGBTI students.

I know some parents will question whether this should be a priority, but surely no parent wants their child to attend a school where bullying goes unchallenged.

With the support of staff, parents and students, I would like to see all schools adopt policies that clearly articulate their vision for LGBTI inclusion and how this vision can be realised.

Finally, it’s crucial that there be proper evaluation of the effectiveness of whatever programs and policies are put in place to challenge bullying against LGBTI young people, and to foster inclusion.

We have to know what works, and what doesn’t so we can continue to improve.

I welcome the recently committed funding here in Tasmania to better address classroom bullying and discrimination in schools, including against LGBTI students.

This investment will save young lives and help to prevent often irreparable psychological and emotional damage.

The task before us now is to ensure that whatever programs and policies are implemented in Tasmanian schools with this new funding are best-practice.

We need to come together and focus on what we all have in common: a belief in the importance of nurturing and caring for each and every child and young person.

We must never again lose sight of the fact that what’s at stake is the wellbeing of living, breathing and feeling children and young people. Mark Morrissey is the Tasmanian Commissioner for Children and Young People.