Kelvin Thomson (Wills, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

Bullying is when people repeatedly and intentionally hurt or cause harm to another person through the use of degrading words or actions which in turn leave the victim feeling worthless and helpless. This Friday, 21 March, is the National Day of Action Against Bullying and Violence. The Bully Zero Australia Foundation is marking the day with a major event at the Essendon football club headquarters in Tullamarine, Melbourne, starting at 10 am.

As the foundation's website points out, reports that one in five Australians has been bullied suggest that there is a bullying epidemic. The foundation, established after the suicide of young bullying victims, aims to empower bullying victims, provide support services for victims, ensure that bullies are held accountable for their actions and establish a non-tolerance policy towards bullying in the Australian community.

Every day across Australia thousands of adults, children and young adolescents are suffering the pain and humiliation of being bullied. The internet has made it possible for bullies to hound their targets 24 hours a day, providing no reprieve for the victims. The Bully Zero Australia Foundation suggests that almost 80 per cent of youth suicides are due to mental illness caused by issues related to bullying, especially cyber bullying.

The foundation has given me a supply of these orange lapel pins, and I encourage members and senators to wear them this week in the lead up to the national day of action. I congratulate the Bully Zero Australia Foundation and its Chief Executive Officer, Oscar Yildiz, on this important initiative.