All New South Wales schools face a year-end deadline to overhaul their anti-bullying practices under a new framework that requires schools to counsel bullies rather than simply punish them, backed by research finding zero-tolerance policies involving suspension and expulsion ineffective and potentially harmful.
Under the new rules, bullied students must receive personalised safety plans that can include increased supervision and access to a safe zone such as a library. Schools must introduce a triage system categorising incidents as low, medium or high risk based on factors including physical harm and emotional impact, with responses ranging from counselling to external referrals.
The mandate is informed by research from NSW behavioural expert Professor Donna Cross, who found zero-tolerance policies involving suspension and expulsion were ineffective and potentially harmful. A study across more than 20 countries found Australian students were among the most exposed to bullying, with nearly one in five saying others had made fun of them and one in 10 saying they had been deliberately excluded.
Winmalee High School principal Voula Facas said the school uses restorative practice. “You can discipline a child for doing the wrong thing, but if they don't truly understand the impact, then nothing will change,” Facas said. She described the practice as restorative: getting children to understand their impact.
The mother of a bullied student at Winmalee said the support was the reason she kept her child enrolled. "If we pulled them out, then we just thought we'd have the same thing happen again because it happens in all schools," she said. "They're all going to get bullied, and then we'd be back to square one, and I'd have no support." Her child is now reportedly much happier at the school.
School captain Robbie Pigram said the environment encouraged students to take a stand. "I can't leave it be. I need to step in and help. I tell them to pull their head in," Pigram said.
Analysis
Why This Matters
- The policy affects every public school in NSW, shaping the daily experience of millions of students and shifting discipline culture away from punishment.
- It enshrines personalised safety plans as a formal right for bullying victims within the system.
- The move provides a potential model for other states and territories grappling with Australia's high rates of school bullying.
Background
Restorative justice focuses on repairing harm and understanding impact rather than simply punishing rule-breakers. The new framework replaces a reliance on zero-tolerance policies that critics, including Professor Cross, argued pushed students out of school without addressing underlying issues. The policy is set to be fully adopted by the end of the 2026 school year.
Key Perspectives
- NSW Department of Education: Mandates the framework by the end of the year, with deregistration as the penalty for non-compliance.
- Voula Facas, Winmalee High School principal: Believes restorative practice is more effective than discipline without understanding.
- Professor Donna Cross: Her research found zero-tolerance policies to be ineffective and potentially harmful, providing the evidence base for the shift.
- Mother of a bullied child: Supports the framework, saying it gave her the confidence to keep her child in the school rather than transferring.
- Robbie Pigram, Winmalee school captain: Says a focus on safe community empowered him to intervene in harmful situations.
What to Watch
- The practical implementation of the triage system and whether schools have adequate counselling resources.
- Potential pushback from educators or parents who favour traditional suspension and expulsion.
- Whether the NSW government gathers data on bullying incidence to measure the framework's effectiveness over the coming years.
Checked
11 claims in this story checked against 1 source: 11 supported.
Show each claim
- SupportedNSW schools are required to adopt a restorative justice approach to bullying.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “This belief in restorative justice is the approach all NSW schools must soon follow.”
- SupportedThe new framework requires personalised safety plans and counselling bullies rather than simply punishing them.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “Under the new framework, bullied students must be given personalised safety plans that could include more supervision and their own “safe zone”, such as a library. Schools must prioritise student wellbeing, explicitly teaching kindness, respect and inclusion, and counsel bullies rather than simply punish them.”
- SupportedAll NSW schools must overhaul their anti-bullying practices by year-end or face deregistration.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “By the end of the year, schools are required to overhaul their anti-bullying practices to meet a new statewide framework, or face deregistration.”
- SupportedSchools must introduce a low-, medium- and high-risk triage system, with responses ranging from counselling to external referrals.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “Schools will also be required to introduce a triage system that categorises bullying incidents into low, medium or high risk based on factors such as physical harm, emotional impact and recurrence. Each triggers a specific response, from counselling to external referrals.”
- SupportedProfessor Donna Cross’s research found zero-tolerance policies involving suspension and expulsion ineffective and potentially harmful.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “The framework is underpinned by research conducted by NSW behavioural expert Professor Donna Cross, who found “zero tolerance” policies involving suspension and expulsion were ineffective and potentially harmful.”
- SupportedA study spanning more than 20 countries found Australian students among the most exposed to bullying; nearly one in five said others made fun of them and one in 10 said they had been deliberately excluded.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “A study of more than 20 countries found Australian students were among the most exposed to bullying , with nearly one in five saying others had made fun of them, and one in 10 saying they had been deliberately excluded.”
- SupportedVoula Facas said, “You can discipline a child for doing the wrong thing, but if they don't truly understand the impact, then nothing will change.”Brisbane Times - Latest News: ““You can discipline a child for doing the wrong thing, but if they don’t truly understand the impact, then nothing will change.””
- SupportedThe mother of a bullied Winmalee student kept her child at the school because of the support there.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “Winmalee High School’s adherence to the framework is the reason the mother decided to keep her child in the school.”
- SupportedThe mother said, “If we pulled them out, then we just thought we'd have the same thing happen again because it happens in all schools,” and said they would have no support if they left.Brisbane Times - Latest News: ““If we pulled them out, then we just thought we’d have the same thing happen again because it happens in all schools. They’re all going to get bullied, and then we’d be back to square one, and I’d have no support,” she said.”
- SupportedThe bullied student is now much happier at the school.Brisbane Times - Latest News: “The mother, whose child is today much happier at the school, agreed.”
- SupportedSchool captain Robbie Pigram said, “I can't leave it be. I need to step in and help. I tell them to pull their head in.”Brisbane Times - Latest News: “School captain Robbie Pigram said the school’s focus on creating a safe community empowered him to stand up when he saw children acting poorly. “There’s been a couple of times throughout my time in high school where I just happened to find myself near something that is clearly not right,” Pigram said. “I can’t leave it be. I need to step in and help. I tell them to pull their head in.””