CEDAR Grove anti-bullying advocate Sammy Pearce has called for nationwide action as the Queensland government released its response to an Anti-Cyberbullying Taskforce report this week.
Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk committed $3.5 million to implement the report’s 29 recommendations, including awareness and education campaigns and grants to community organisations to complete their own anti-bullying initiatives.
The taskforce was announced following the death of 14-year-old Queensland girl Dolly Everett after she was subjected to cyber bullying.
Year six Veresdale Scrub student and Dream Guard ambassador Sammy Pearce has shared his own experiences with bullying, having received death threats in the past.
Mr Pearce put forward one of the 364 submissions to the taskforce and shared his own ideas to counter the problem.
“I think we have to bring in anti-bullying subjects to the curriculum. If we can teach kids not to bully there won’t be any cyber-bullying either.
“It should be mandatory that children and parents do an anti-bully course together because children learn from parents and not all parents are doing the right thing.
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Mr Pearce also said social media sites needed to take more responsibility to prevent bullying through private channels.
Anti-Cyberbullying Taskforce chair Madonna King said the community could expect progress if all recommendations are adopted.
“This is a whole community issue and if our recommendations are implemented, parents will receive the assistance they want, schools will be better set up to investigate complaints and our focus all along - our children - will be safer,’” Ms King said.
Premier Palaszczuk said there was no easy solution to tackle cyber bullying.
The clear message from the taskforce is there is no ‘one thing’ we can do to stop cyber bullies – we have to do everything,” Ms Palaszczuk said.
“And we all have a part to play.”
The taskforce urged the federal government to introduce a national right to be forgotten law to allow damaging online information to be removed.
On the issue of whether mobile phones should be banned from schools, the taskforce recommended this should be at the discretion of principals and parents.
Funding breakdown
- $2 million over two years to roll out awareness and education campaigns
- $1 million for schools including $450,000 in funding to the Dolly’s Dream Foundation to implement the eSmart Schools Program in Queensland schools.
- $500,000 to provide grants to young people and to youth and community organisations that want to undertake cyber bullying initiatives