Teresa Gambaro (Brisbane, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Last Friday, schools and communities around the country, and in my electorate of Brisbane, took a strong stand together against bullying and violence in our schools.

A snapshot of the school newsletters around my electorate reveal the following: at Mt Maria College they describe the three aspects needed for behaviour to be called bullying as a repeated behaviour, the misuse of power within relationships and behaviour which causes harm. Our Lady Help of Christians in Hendra pointed out that a clear, comprehensive and shared definition of bullying is essential to enable schools to identify it and to develop appropriate strategies to deal with it. At Stafford State school, they are trying to change the audience response to bullying by focusing less on the rule breakers and more on the students who do not break the rules—the bystanders and audience for an any acts of bullying. At St James College, the school captain bravely spoke to the assembly of his experiences with violence and bullying at school—a powerful message of growth, forgiveness and restorative justice. And at Holy Spirit primary school in New Farm they used the twinning of the Bullying. No way! campaign with Harmony Day to reinforce the message that everyone belongs.

I thank all schools in the Brisbane electorate for their efforts to tackle this issue, which can damage and destroy young lives. This helps to ensure that all children can have the opportunity of an education that is marked more through positive experiences of encouragement, support and, ultimately, achievement.