NSW government scraps Chief Behaviour Advisor role and parent surveys amid bullying crisis

NSW’s inaugural ‘Chief Behaviour Advisor’, tasked with bullying prevention in public, Catholic and independent schools, will no longer act in the role.

A behaviour expert tasked with bullying prevention in public, Catholic and independent schools will no longer act in the role, despite the Minns government heralding her work in announcing a new anti-bullying agreement with school leaders.

Professor Donna Cross was appointed NSW’s inaugural ‘Chief Behaviour Advisor’ in the dying days of the Perrottet government to oversee respectful behaviour in both government and non-government schools, but her freshly expired two-year contract will not be renewed.

Instead Prof Cross, who recently handed down an 84-page report on bullying in public schools with dozens of recommendations, will now “give advice” to the NSW government’s Anti-Bullying Working Group.

Although she will remain employed by the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA), neither NESA nor Education Minister Prue Car’s could confirm the length of her employment or her obligations in the new job.

The role of chief behaviour advisor has been scrapped.

NSW Chief Behaviour Advisor Donna Cross’s role has been scrapped. Picture: Supplied

While the government has been commended for committing to a national bullying strategy, multiple sources familiar with the role and with Professor Cross’s work told The Saturday Telegraph they felt she had been “under-utilised”.

“What concerns me the most is that Donna’s work has been instrumental in addressing bullying and behavioural issues in schools across NSW,” one source said.

Professor Donna Cross in a promotional video for a Catholic Schools NSW event. Picture: X

“What is going on in schools right now is dire. Children are dying from suicide due to bullying and we need leaders in this field to oversee this issue … it’s my hope that the Minns government can continue this position.”

It comes as parents and teachers raise questions over the government’s decision to scrap a long-running school survey collecting self-reported data from students on incidence rates of bullying.

The Tell Them From Me surveys undertaken by students, teachers and parents in public schools since 2015, and administered independently by Canadian firm The Learning Bar, had found nearly 30 per cent of students reported being bullied in the previous four weeks.

School principals were informed in February that the feedback surveys would be replaced by the NSW Public Schools Surveys for students in Week 1 Term 2, while “new parent and teacher surveys will begin from 2026”.

The Tell Them From Me surveys provided a decade-long picture of self-reported rates of bullying among school students. Picture: NSW Mental Health Commission

The move to bring feedback in-house after The Learning Bar contract lapsed is estimated to save $2 million per year.

However P&C Federation CEO Gemma Quinn said her organisation had been contacted by many parents frustrated that their voices would not be heard this year, especially when the bullying crisis “is their top area of concern”.

“The research is clear: when parents are engaged and their feedback is genuinely taken on board, student wellbeing and educational outcomes improve,” she said.

Former Coalition education minister Sarah Mitchell said the decision not to renew the chief behaviour advisor role was “disappointing”, while scrapping the Tell Them From Me surveys “beggars belief”.

“As the education minister at the time Professor Cross was appointed, it is disappointing to hear that the Labor government appears to have undervalued and under-utilised her expertise over the past two years and are now axing the role – at a time when this guidance has never been more critical,” Ms Mitchell said.

“Students, parents and families need to be heard and deserve better than hollow promises and no tangible actions from the Labor government.”

Opposition education spokeswoman Sarah Mitchell said the role was critical, now more than ever. Picture: Gaye Gerard

In 2023, the state government had led a global recruitment search for the Chief Behaviour Advisor role, with several candidates applying from research institutes, schools and universities.

A spokeswoman for Education Minister Prue Car said the government “is focused on tackling the scourge of bullying in NSW schools and Professor Donna Cross is continuing to assist the NSW government in that work”.

A department spokesman said the new surveys “better align with our current priorities” and would still include a question on bullying, but could not provide details.

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