Premier David Crisafulli promises nation’s biggest school bully crackdown

Premier David Crisafulli has promised the nation’s biggest crackdown on school bullies.

• Faces of social media tragedy

Premier David Crisafulli has promised to lead the nation in a crackdown on bullying in schools, as he pushes for a unified approach to tackling social media dangers.

Mr Crisafulli has also revealed the tough new benchmarks he has instructed his new Education Minister John-Paul Langbroek to deliver as part of his ministerial charter.

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“As a state we’ve wrapped our arms around too many families grieving young lives lost to the scourge of bullying,’’ he said.

“We cannot allow the spotlight on bullying to fade without action.

“Social media has rendered bullying inescapable and allowed it to reach out of classrooms and into our homes.

“My commitment is to drive reforms nationally, but regardless of any baseline national standards we will lead the nation in making change in Queensland.’’  

Mr Crisafulli said only a multifaceted approach would work, including regulating social media and engaging schools and parents.

“This must be about protecting the vulnerable and intervening early with the bullies,’’ he said.

“I have already set clear KPIs for my education minister which includes delivering anti-bullying programs across our schools, expanding school chaplaincy and introducing more specialist behavioural management teachers to better identify vulnerable children and those perpetrating bullying.  

“We must pull every lever for this serious issue that deserves a serious response, to start to stamp out bullying.’’

Top of Mr Langbroek’s to-do list would be keeping under-siege teachers safe in classrooms and boosting resources to address burnout and high attrition rates.

John-Paul Langbroek has looking after teachers among his tasks.

He would also have to introduce a zero-tolerance policy for violence, vapes and drug use in schools.

And resources must be found to allow schools to enforce strong behavioural standards and ensure young people at risk of dropping out of school were able to take up training, find work or some other form of education.

One of Mr Crisafulli’s signature election promises was the $40 million “Right Track’’ program, which would see four crime prevention schools set up including one in Townsville.

Mr Langbroek has been tasked with working with Youth Justice Minister Laura Gerber to set up the Townsville school, adopting the model of the Men Of Business (MOB) Academy on the Gold Coast.

MOB, a senior secondary school run by Marco Renai - who has been working with youth for 14 years - would be another of the four schools. The program there would be expanded.

Mr Langbroek’s other key anti-bullying KPIs included working with Ms Gerber to boost school attendance in youth detention.

He must also work with stakeholders to introduce a new anti-bullying campaign.

Another KPI was delivering “respectful relationships’’ education across the state, with reporting mechanisms to track the effectiveness of the program.

Mr Langbroek served as a Shadow Education Minister, in 2008, and was Education Minister in the Newman government when he introduced landmark policies such as an independent schools scheme.