Released 22/03/2023
The ACT Government is committed to working with the Australian Education Union - ACT Branch to build a positive public school environment in which every school worker, leader and student is safe and free from bullying, harassment and violence.
Minister for Education Yvette Berry said: “We do not tolerate violence in schools. We take all incidents seriously and foster a reporting culture in which staff and students feel supported to come forward so that we can respond.”
The government has already made a $1.14 million investment to establish the Safe@School Taskforce, which is leading a system-wide transformation to improve the safety and wellbeing of our students and staff. This work is ongoing.
Minister Berry welcomes the ACT Branch of the Australian Education Union’s recent 10-point action plan and has today provided a response, which includes:
- working with principals to ensure greater certainty for funding occupational violence responses in schools
- communicating a strong message to our community that violence towards front-line workers will not be tolerated.
Violence in our communities, including in our schools, is a complex social problem. The government will keep working with the AEU to meet our shared interest of safety across all ACT public schools.
Minister Berry also wrote to Federal Education Minister Jason Clare today asking for the issue of community expectations of schools to be included on the agenda for the Education Minister’s meeting.
- Statement ends -
Yvette Berry, MLA | Media Releases