Power to expel students for poor behaviour outside school criticised as adding to Victorian educators' workload
The state education minister, Ben Carroll, on Wednesday announced the expanded authority for principals to use when 'harmful behaviour' outside school and online puts other students and staff 'at serious risk'. It will come into effect from term three.
Carroll told reporters it was a 'commonsense change' that principals and parents had long been calling for and would bring the state into line with New South Wales and South Australia.
'Poor behaviour has consequences, whether it's inside the classroom or out,' Carroll said.
'I've sat down with parents, with principals and indeed with students, where inappropriate behaviour has occurred outside the school gate and it's been very difficult for the perpetrator to be expelled or suspended.'
Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email
The president and executive director of the Australian Secondary Principals' Association (Aspa), Andy Mison, said he supported the intent of the announcement but held concerns educators only discovered the news in the media.
'It would have been nice for Victorian principals to have had a bit of a heads up,' he said. 'This is a well-intentioned policy, but its implementation could be strengthened by consulting with principals about it before it was announced.
'If you want effective schools policy, it makes sense to involve those that have to implement that school policy.'
Mison added that suspension and expulsion should only be used as 'absolutely last resort measures' with the aim being to support children to learn at their best.
'This is an acknowledgment that there are issues outside the school gate and that schools shouldn't be responsible for managing all of those things,' he said.
'It takes a village to raise a child. We just can't keep putting more and more pressure, expectation and accountability on schools to solve all the problems of society.
Lecturer in early childhood at RMIT, Dr Elise Waghorn, said while the new powers would receive significant support, 'prevention is better than the cure'.
She said greater emphasis should be given on educating parents and young people about unsafe behaviours and online safety, instead of 'constantly putting more pressure on teachers'.
Sign up to Breaking News Australia
Get the most important news as it breaks
after newsletter promotion
'Principals or teachers shouldn't feel they are put in a position to expel children based on their online activity. It's not enough to just expel children – there needs to be education,' Waghorn said.
'We need to give a really clear message that it's not the school or the parents in isolation, we need to … prevent this behaviour as a community.'
Carroll said harmful behaviour could include anything from physical assault to bullying to the distribution of 'deepfakes', where real images of a person are run through artificial intelligence to generate sexually explicit material.
The use of artificial intelligence to create pornographic deepfakes of fellow school students has been the subject of multiple police investigations in recent months, raising alarm among federal crossbenchers.
It comes amid growing concern over the behaviour of young people, with a recent survey finding instances of physical violence towards principals had increased by 82% since reporting began in 2011, while threats of violence were also at their highest rate in the same period.
Last month, the federal government launched a review into bullying and cyberbullying at schools, with the aim of developing a nationally consistent response to the issue.
The eSafety Commissioner is also in the process of drafting an industry code designed to protect children from age-inappropriate content, including pornography, high-impact violence and material relating to self-harm, suicide and disordered eating.
'We want to encourage kids to be coming to school hungry, to learn, not fearful or worried about what might have occurred over the weekend or indeed, overnight online, and how that will affect the school environment,' Carroll said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Guardian
29 minutes ago
- The Guardian
Australia news live: Gareth Ward in legal bid to avoid expulsion from NSW parliament; Acoss says it's time to roll back property tax breaks for investors
Update: Date: 2025-08-06T21:59:17.000Z Title: Chalmers says he will err on the side of workers when it comes to AI Content: Treasurer Jim Chalmers appeared on 7:30 Report last night, where he was talking about how AI will be a key topic at the government's productivity roundtable in a few weeks. He was asked if he would support the Australian Council of Trade Unions' call for workers to be able to veto AI in their workplace. He said he would err on the side of workers: We need to be realistic about it. And certainly, I agree that workers need to be part of the conversation when it comes to rolling out a technology that has this gamechanging potential. And where there's very real potential risks in the labour market. I would always err on the side of workers having a say in how their work is done. Update: Date: 2025-08-06T21:54:54.000Z Title: Good morning Content: and welcome to our live news blog. I'm Nick Visser, I'll be bringing you updates as the day gets rolling. Let's start with this: The Australian Council of Social Services (Acoss) is calling for the government to roll back tax breaks for property investors before the treasurer's productivity roundtable. Acoss is calling for the 50% capital gains tax discount to be halved 'so there'd be some tax reward for property investment but nowhere near as generous', the group's chief told the ABC. Also today, a court is expected to hear jailed MP Gareth Ward's bid to prevent the NSW parliament from expelling him. We'll bring you all the developments. Stick with us.
The Guardian
an hour ago
- The Guardian
The big beef producer and the frontier wars; ‘progress' in Ukraine talks; real range of EVs revealed
Good morning. We continue our Descendants series with revelations of Australia's biggest beef producer's historical links to abuses against Aboriginal people – through the actions of its longest-serving superintendent before he joined the company, and others who helped establish its farming operations in the 19th century. With all eyes on Moscow as Donald Trump's deadline for Russia to agree to peace with Ukraine looms large, US officials have met with Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin. An academic is crying foul after the University of Sydney removed a Palestinian flag flying from his office window. And: a new study finds the real-world range of EVs doesn't match manufacturers' claims. 'Chilling effect on free speech' | The University of Sydney has removed a Palestinian flag hanging outside an academic's office after claiming it breached a new policy regarding flags. The Descendants | The Australian Agricultural Company, or AACo, is worth about $830m as Australia's largest beef producer, but investigations have uncovered the company's historical links with the dispossession, shooting and poisoning of Aboriginal people through the exploits of Jesse Gregson and others who helped establish its operations. CSIRO cuts | Hundreds more jobs could be axed at Australia's national science agency, sparking concerns the country is gutting its research capability. Electric vehicles | A government-funded program to test the true performance of vehicles has found the driving range of five popular electric cars is between 5% and 23% lower than results from laboratory testing. 'No clear explanation' | Since July many Meta users have reported accounts being suspended erroneously – and Australian businesses are now struggling. A personal platypus | British wartime PM Winston Churchill was due to receive a monotreme named after him but it mysteriously died en route. German U-boats were blamed – but was that the truth? Russia-Ukraine war | Donald Trump said 'everyone agrees this war must come to a close' after US envoy Steve Witkoff met with Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin as the deadline to end Russia's war against Ukraine looms. Gaza crisis | Israel has issued forced displacement orders for Gaza City and Khan Younis amid fears of full occupation in Gaza. Our exclusive story reveals Israel relies on Microsoft's cloud services for expansive surveillance of Palestinians. Plus: the film about a Palestinian photographer killed by missiles in Gaza. Trump tariffs | The White House is placing an additional 25% tariff on imports from India, bringing total tariffs up to 50%, in retaliation for the country's purchase of oil from Russia. Bolsonaro detained | A Brazilian judge has eased the terms of Jair Bolsonaro's house arrest, allowing the far-right former president to receive visits from family. 'Islamophobic and discriminatory' | A local authority in Spain has banned Muslims from using public facilities such as civic centres and gyms to celebrate the religious festivals Eid al-Fitr and Eid al-Adha. Can Trump be shamed into supporting human rights? After three decades at the helm of Human Rights Watch, the former executive director Kenneth Roth has written a memoir about his time campaigning against human rights violations around the world – including in the Palestinian occupied territories. He speaks with Nour Haydar about why he thinks there's always a strategy to pressure governments into supporting better human rights outcomes. The US Bureau of Labor Studies released its July employment figures last week, and they were not good. In response, Donald Trump did what any autocrat would do when told bad news: he shot the messenger – by firing the commissioner of labor statistics. In his latest Grogonomics column, Greg Jericho argues that Trump's war on statistics is an authoritarian attack on democracy – and countries like Australia should call it out. The Tjanpi Desert Weavers is an Indigenous-run social enterprise that empowers women across 350,000 sq km of central Australia to earn an income through fibre art. Its contemporary art and sculptural works based in traditional practices have been exhibited in Australia – and around the world. Thirty years after it all began, Dellaram Vreeland looks at how 400 Indigenous women in remote Australia took the art world by storm. Sign up to Morning Mail Our Australian morning briefing breaks down the key stories of the day, telling you what's happening and why it matters after newsletter promotion AFL | Jayden Nguyen's Bombers debut could herald new era as the AFL tackles cultural diversity, Jack Snape writes. Cricket | The Hundred is set for Twenty20 transformation as early as next year, with IPL investors keen on a switch. Football | Liverpool grant Darwin Núñez the go-ahead for a move to Saudi Arabia's Al-Hilal; Newcastle's Alexander Isak ordered to train alone amid transfer speculation. Rugby union | Rugby in the US suffers another blow as the second team in a week exits Major League Rugby. Increasing numbers of older Australians are seeking to share houses as property prices continue rising and rental costs soar, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Business leaders claim Melbourne's post-Covid recovery is under threat from the state government's plan to enshrine a legal right to work from home, the Age reports. NSW | A hearing is scheduled in the NSW supreme court as MP Gareth Ward fights parliamentary expulsion. Nationwide | A national student strike is scheduled in support of Palestine. NSW | The Lowy Institute is hosting a debate on 'How to defend Australia'. Business | AMP's full-year results are due to be announced this morning. Enjoying the Morning Mail? Then you'll love our Afternoon Update newsletter. Sign up here to finish your day with a three-minute snapshot of the day's main news, and complete your daily news roundup. And follow the latest in US politics by signing up for This Week in Trumpland. And finally, here are the Guardian's crosswords to keep you entertained throughout the day. Until tomorrow. Quick crossword Cryptic crossword
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Reckoning for Australia's childcare sector after onslaught of abuse cases
Twice a week, Ben Bradshaw drops his young son off at a Sydney childcare centre before heading off to thousands of parents and carers across Australia, the 40-year-old had always been confident that the staff have his child's best interests at in recent months, that trust in the childcare system has been "eroded", the father-of-two says, after several high-profile cases of alleged sexual and physical abuse at centres across Australia."It's that old adage of cockroaches - if you see one in your house, there's 10 that you don't see. These are the ones that get caught. It's more scary the ones that you can't see," he tells the the past few weeks, 2,000 children in Victoria have been urged to undergo infectious disease testing after a childcare worker was charged with the mass sexual abuse of babies; police have named a Sydney man who worked for 60 after-school-care providers and is accused of taking "explicit" images of children under his supervision; a Queensland woman has faced court over allegations she tortured a one-year-old boy; and another two workers in Sydney have been charged after a toddler was left covered in comes as the nation is still reeling from the crimes of childcare worker Ashley Paul Griffith - dubbed "one of Australia's worst paedophiles" - who was late last year sentenced to life in prison for raping and sexually abusing almost 70 series of allegations have sparked panic and fear among parents, child safety advocates have demanded action to fix what they call a dangerously incompetent system, and politicians have promised reform to keep Australia's most vulnerable safe."Some childcare centres are still safe, but the current childcare system is definitely not working to protect children or prioritise their safety," says Hetty Johnston, a leading child protection advocate. "It fails at every step." Rapid growth, greater risks In recent years, there has been a nationwide push to give more children access to early childhood education and care, which research indicates has many positive long-term of dollars have been poured into the sector from federal and state governments, including funding to guarantee three days of childcare for low and middle-income families. Such measures have prompted rapid growth in the sector, with a rush of new centres opening which has deepened a shortage of qualified growth has led to "significant vulnerabilities", says Prof Leah Bromfield, director of the Australian Centre for Child Protection."Whenever you grow something really quickly, that comes with risks," she says, listing off a lack of regulation and monitoring, limited training for managers, and the disparate and casual nature of the workforce."You put all that together and you've created a weak system from the perspective of a predatory perpetrator… a system where it's easier to infiltrate."In the wake of the Melbourne child sexual abuse case where Joshua Dale Brown was charged with 70 counts of abuse against eight babies, the federal government gave itself greater powers to strip funding from providers that breach quality and safety Education Minister Jason Clare said the measure was not designed to "shut down centres" but rather increase pressure for them to "raise standards".But Mr Bradshaw wants more. He says taking away funding from a centre "doesn't stop the crime, it just punishes it"."You have to do things that are proactive in nature." Knee-jerk reactions The spate of alleged crimes have sparked a heated national conversation about how to better protect kids. Limiting the role of men in childcare is one of the most controversial was a public call to ban men from certain tasks such as changing nappies and taking children to the toilet – though some warned this could place extra pressure on female staff."It's not about banning male educators, but about providing families with agency and informed choice," says Louise Edmonds, an advocate for child sex abuse case prompted G8 Education – who owned the centre where he worked - to introduce so-called "intimate care waivers", giving parents and carers the opportunity to choose who carried out private and sensitive duties. It also pledged to install CCTV at all of its centres. Ms Johnston - who founded child protection group Bravehearts - says these are natural responses, but cautioned that, though "men are definitely a higher risk", women do abuse children too and offenders can do so in all kinds of settings."They are opportunistic… when others don't pay attention, when they are distracted, complacent, disinterested or too trusting, they create 'opportunities' for offenders."Other practical measures centres could adopt to improve child safety include having two educators with direct line of sight of children at all times and getting rid of blind spots in centres - replacing solid doors with glass panes, eliminating windowless walls, and putting more mirrors up to create "incidental supervision"."It's all about reducing opportunities for predators to isolate or conceal in nooks and crannies," Ms Johnston says. Hiding in plain sight But massive system reform is also long overdue, experts 2017, more than 400 recommendations emerged from a years-long royal commission into child sex abuse in institutional settings – like churches, schools and childcare - but critics say progress has stalled on some of the most significant of those outstanding recommendations, to be discussed by the country's attorneys-general at a meeting this month, is to overhaul Australia's checks on those who work with each state and territory complete what is essentially a police check required for those who work alongside children, but they don't share the information with each other. Advocates have called for a nationalised system, but some say the checks themselves don't go far enough."It's inconsistent, relies too heavily on prior convictions," Ms Edmonds instance, many say, the system should capture red flags such as formal complaints, workplace warnings, police intelligence, and people identified as alleged abusers in confidential applications to the national redress scheme set up after the royal a broader net is important, experts argue, as child abuse allegations can be difficult to stand up in court. Often the witnesses are young children, who are either non-verbal or have limited vocabulary, may struggle with memory, and often have a lack of situational understanding."Catching someone red-handed and being able to prove it beyond reasonable doubt is almost impossible," Ms Johnston says. That's why Prof Bromfield is among those calling for a national registration scheme for the childcare sector – like those that exist for doctors or teachers. It would require workers to prove their qualifications, could provide a detailed work history, and would bind them all by a code of argue the system could also capture many of the things the working- with-children checks currently do not."Often in child sexual abuse cases, when you look back, you see lots and lots of red flags," Prof Bromfield says."There might be a pattern, but [at the moment] we just don't see that because they are moving between states or between sectors or between providers."Mr Bradshaw says having access to more information about staff would help parents like him make informed is a necessity for his family, he explains, as he works full-time and his wife, a high school teacher, works four days a often, there's little detail about the childcare centre's staff "beyond the pictures on the wall" of the teachers and educators, so parents often have to assess a provider "based on vibes"."It's a bit of a blackbox and you're bound because you need to have your kids in childcare so you can pay for living in a big city."That's where greater education for parents is needed too, Prof Bromfield says, so they know what questions to ask and, in the worst-case scenarios, how to spot signs of grooming include enquiring about a provider's child safety policies, asking about its staff turnover, and assessing the physical spaces for any visibility issues. There also needs to be better, more regular training for managers in the sector on how to prevent and identify problematic behaviour or patterns, experts Prof Bromfield - who was part of the team which conducted the royal commission into child sex abuse – these are conversations she has been having for over a she is hopeful the current crisis will shock Australia into taking greater action."Perhaps one of the things that will happen is there will be greater political will to prioritise safety for children," Prof Bromfield says."The big lesson is that we can never rest on our laurels when it comes to children's safety."Perpetrators just keep getting smarter, working around the systems we've got. We can't forget the lessons of the past… and we can't assume that this is a problem that's gone away."
