Cyber bullying Qld: $44m for teacher aides, therapists

An extra $44m will be placed in the hands of principals to spend on therapists, teacher aides and specialist training to combat bullying.

Premier David Crisafulli (front) with Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek

Queensland schools will receive funding for therapists, teacher aides and specialist training as the state government backs up its promise of empowering schools to protect their students from toxic bullying.

The extra $44m in funding, to be announced by Premier David Crisafulli on Monday, will be put in the hands of principals who will have discretion in how the money would best be spent in their schools.

A shocking one in 10 children say they have been the victim of cyber bullying, according to the Australian Human Rights Commission

The Federal Government recently introduced a world-first social media ban for under-16s following The Courier-Mail’s Let Them Be Kids campaign, pleading for stricter guidelines on social media use, to help address the problem.

The government cash splash will enable principals to spend it on specialist training and professional development, increasing the presence of teacher aides and hiring support staff, or to appoint speech pathologists and occupational therapists.

It follows Mr Crisafulli’s pledge in November to lead the nation in a school bully crackdown which would include early intervention, an expansion on school chaplaincy and specialist behavioural management.

Mr Crisafulli said the funding would give teachers the support they needed to help their students and to stamp out bullying early before it intensified.

“Schools are no place for bad behaviour and we’re sending in the back-up teachers need to turn on the tables on bullying,” he said.

Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek said there was a correlation between behavioural issues and a lack of support for educators.

“The Crisafulli Government is supporting schools right across the state and that’s evident by today’s announcement and by the introduction of our three actions that reduce red tape for teachers,” he said.

Australian Human Rights Commission statistics show more than 20 per cent of boys and 15 per cent of girls are bullied weekly, while cyber-bullying affects at least every tenth student.