Up to 60 videos show Djarragun College students fighting on and off campus
An education union is calling for “urgent intervention” after up to 60 violent videos showed students from a Cairns independent school fighting on and off campus. Watch the video compilation.
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An education union is calling for “urgent intervention” after up to 60 violent videos showed students from a Cairns independent school fighting on and off campus.
The videos of the brawling students at Djarragun College have been uploaded to two Instagram accounts created in April 2023 and January of this year.
Students can be seen punching and grabbing at each other while staff try helplessly to intervene.
Independent Education Union (Queensland and Northern Territory) branch secretary Terry Burke said the union had previously contacted the school regarding staff and student safety.
“In the case of Djarragun College, our union has raised concerns about the safety of staff and students with the school employer at various times in the last two years,” Mr Burke said.
“We continue to call for significant and urgent intervention by the school authority to protect student and staff safety.
“This includes the employer ensuring the school has a comprehensive risk management plan to protect staff and student safety and wellbeing.”
The Cairns Post understands the school was locked down following a fight involving multiple people and threats to damage property on February 13, when three police crews were called about 10.20am.
A police spokeswoman said no one was injured or charges laid.
A Gordonvale woman who asked to remain anonymous but works in the area said groups of Djarragun College students were also unruly off campus.
“They pull their shirts over their heads, run in, anything that’s in grabbing distance to the door, they grab it, turn around, run back out again,” she said.
The worker said students would arrive in large groups and “blow up” if refused service.
“It’s not one or two, it’s groups of between 10 or 12, sometimes 15 and they’ll get here and then you’ll see the next lot walking down here,” she said.
“It’s progressively getting worse, they have no respect for anybody.
“It’s like they’re invincible.”
Djarragun College principal Michael Barton said all individual matters were handled privately out of respect for student’s families and their cultures.
“The school is supporting families and family leaders to navigate the complexity of raising their young people and the challenging influences occurring outside of school,” Dr Barton said.
“Procedures inside the school grounds are followed rigorously and promptly and both internal and external investigations occur immediately and thoroughly as required,” he said.
Djarragun College board of directors chair Stephen Codrington said while the board was not directly involved in the operational matters of the college, they ensured policies and procedures were being followed.
“Djarragun College’s management has demonstrably been exemplary in following these policies and procedures during the entire period I have been board chair (about four years), and our students and staff are the beneficiaries of this diligence,” Dr Codrington said.
Djarragun College is an independent boarding and day school that is an entity of Cape York Partnership.
It is located in Gordonvale.
In 2022, according to My School data, Djarragun College had a total gross income of more than $15 million, with a total gross income per student of $48,048.
In a 2023 ranking of the Far North’s richest schools, the college ranked 27 out of 139 schools based on My School financial data from 2017 to 2021.
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