Ms Catherine King (Ballarat, Australian Labor Party, Shadow Minister for Health) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I rise to speak here in this place about bullying and, in particular, the impact that it has on young people and students across our constituencies. In my constituency of Ballarat, it is an issue which many parents have contacted me about, seeking a pathway to help, advice and resolution for the young people that they so deeply care about.

When a parent or a carer drops their child at school each day, there is nothing they want more than for them to thrive and, most importantly, to be safe at school. For children who are experiencing bullying, the last thing they feel is safe. The impacts of bullying should never be underestimated. Not only do they take a toll on the student's mental and physical health, bullying quite often saps a student's willingness to engage and to learn, and their education can suffer as a result. It has a lifelong effect.

Bullying often does not leave physical scars, although it can. The longitudinal study of Australian children found that almost one in three students aged 10 to 11 years reported being bullied or picked on by peers, with name-calling being far more common than physical bullying but no less hurtful. Cyberbullying is also of significant concern and means that bullying behaviour follows the student into their home. In my electorate there has been a significant amount of media coverage—and I congratulate The Courier-Mail for bringing this issue to light—of incidents of bullying in schools. While these stories of bullying can be confronting, they also spark an honest conversation within families and communities about the issue.

There is no doubt that this is a challenging issue and that there is a need to identify a range of strategies to deal with it appropriately. This week I commend the Victorian education minister for announcing a new independent panel for school dispute resolutions, providing an avenue for parents who have been unable to resolve their issue within the school itself, outside the education department or Catholic education departments, to have a place where they can be heard. It is a great announcement and I know it is one that will be welcomed.

The repercussions of students feeling isolated and internalising bullying can be absolutely devastating. Only this week the AIHW released a report that said suicide is the leading cause of death for young Australians aged 15 to 24. I particularly want to acknowledge the damaging effect bullying has on LGBTIQ communities. Bullying is not just about kids being kids and a rite of passage. We need to confront bullying and cultivate school environments where bullying is not accepted. Above all else, we want our students to know and believe that it is okay to speak up and seek help, that they will be heard and that our school communities, our families and our broader community take this issue very seriously.