Kate Ellis (Adelaide, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Education) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

As part of this year's Adelaide Feast Festival, I had the opportunity to attend a Safe Schools Coalition workshop. At the forum we heard about recent Australian research which shows that 80 per cent of same-sex attracted, intersex and gender diverse students still face verbal abuse and bullying at school and that just one in five of these students attend a school in which they feel supported.

We all know that bullying, abuse and exclusion takes a terrible emotional toll, but students also pay a price in terms of their learning. Research presented at the forum shows that same-sex attracted, intersex and gender diverse students who do not feel safe at school have lower self-esteem and higher rates of absenteeism. Their grades suffer and so does their mental health. Most tragically, they suffer much higher rates of suicide. We as a parliament know that youth suicide rates are too high, but we also know that it is our responsibility to do all we can to try and save lives.

There is a powerful force of change in our classrooms called the Safe Schools Coalition. What is most inspiring about it is that it is a program driven by students—students who have taken the task of making our schools safer upon their own shoulders and who are approaching their principals and encouraging them to get involved and who are leading the school's efforts. We heard from students who have set up petitions, who have started friendship groups, who have run fundraisers and, importantly, who have taken really meaningful steps towards educating their peers and creating a safer and more supportive environment. These students are all leaders, all brave individuals who are making a difference.

I am really incredibly proud of Labor's commitment to safe schools. I want to acknowledge that opposition leader, Bill Shorten, secured the funding for this program when he was the education minister. Today we know that there are already 206 safe schools nationally, including 29 in South Australia. The program will come on board across the rest of the country by the middle of 2015. I would also like to take this opportunity to recognise the incredible work of The Foundation for Young Australians, who are supporting this program across the nation.

For too many same-sex attracted, intersex and gender diverse young Australians, school can still be a really grim place, but, thanks to this coalition, the future is looking much brighter. I have a list here of the 206 safe schools nationally which are running this program. I would encourage all MPs to contact schools in their communities if they are not on this list and encourage them to get involved. Together we can work to prevent the high rates of youth suicide which are gripping same-sex young Australians, and we can save lives. It is something worth this parliament coming together to achieve. I seek leave to table the list.

Leave granted.