Mrs BRAHAM - 1994-11-24
The minister would be aware that there was a recent case of bullying at Bradshaw Primary School in Alice Springs. To allay the concerns raised by the parents, can the minister outline what steps the school took to deal with the perpetrators and what steps it is taking to ensure the safety of its students?
ANSWER
Mr Speaker, it is unfortunate that there were a number of incidents in Alice Springs - I think that they were a couple of weeks apart - but it is of value to indicate the actions that the school has taken because there has been a great deal of misinformation.
Once again, this provides an opportunity to demonstrate the diametrically-opposed views that one member of parliament can hold. I refer to the Leader of the Opposition who has been carrying on about violence in a community in his electorate. Because of the people's rights - there is never a mention of their responsibilities - he believes that the government should rush in to fix the problem. I did not hear him screaming for police action against the perpetrators of the violence in that community, yet they are very well-known to him and there were very serious levels of violence. When it comes to writing about primary school students, who are the same age as those from Alawa Primary School who visited the House earlier today, 11-year-olds in Year 6, then it is a different story. When he writes about ...
Mr Ede interjecting.
Mr FINCH: It does not apply! There are 2 different standards.
Mr Ede: Garbage!
Mr FINCH: There are 2 different approaches to violence.
Mr Ede: Garbage! It is the protection of the law. People deserve it and have a right to it.
Mr FINCH: Let me explain. I suppose the Leader of the Opposition has never been involved in schoolyard blues or donnybrooks in his life. Perhaps he jumped to conclusions about this matter because of the media. However, knowing his attitude of being soft on criminals, he wrote to me in fairly intriguing terms. He writes to murderers in jail. His attitude and that of his colleagues is to let them all out.
Mr Ede: What a load of garbage!
Mr FINCH: He was talking about the processes being inadequate, but I will tell him what is inadequate. This comment of his is inadequate: 'I believe that an assault in the schoolyard is no less an offence than an assault in the community at large'. He has put this schoolyard bullying, which is totally unacceptable, in the same perspective as the events at
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Nyirripi. In the next sentence - and this is the one that I find offensive - he stated: 'It is a criminal matter and needs to be addressed as such'. He did not say that it 'might be' a criminal matter. He said that we should get into stuck these 11-year-olds, but we should not worry about the serious violent offences in the community about which he well knows and shuts his mouth.
It is all right for members opposite to talk about this government's attitude, but this government talks not only about the rights of the individual but also the responsibilities of the individual. As long as Labor here and in Canberra adopt the patronising approach towards Aboriginals that they adopt today, neither the Aboriginals nor the Labor Party will ever get anywhere.
In relation to the actions of the school, let me assure members, particularly those from the Alice Springs region, that it took appropriate steps immediately. Contrary to the views held by the Leader of the Opposition and the media, the matters were taken seriously and action was taken swiftly. I hope the member for Wanguri takes note of the 40- or 50-page document, which was tabled for him last night, relating to the Department of Education's policies in this regard. After ensuring the physical safety of the individual students as a first priority, the offenders were isolated and put into in-school suspension - that is, they have no contact with other students except when they are in the class during class time itself.
Counselling was offered to the students involved and to their parents. We had people in place immediately to counsel them. Notes were sent home to all parents advising them of the incident and the subsequent action taken by school. Behaviour contracts were drawn up with the main perpetrators. The school itself has an active behaviour management team that meets on a weekly basis. This has been in place not only since the event but before it. The staff are trained in the 'Stop Think Do' program, as well as the many other behaviour management programs that the Department of Education has in place. The offences are serious and they are being treated as such. However, they are not being treated, as the Leader of the Opposition would have it, by locking up the 11-year-olds and describing this, without any qualification, as a 'criminal matter'. What a double standard!
Mr Ede: What a load of garbage!
Mr FINCH: He has a patronising attitude in one part of the community - that is, the bush - compared with what he says in town. Depending on the audience to whom he is talking, he says 2 different things.
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ANSWER
Mr Speaker, it is unfortunate that there were a number of incidents in Alice Springs - I think that they were a couple of weeks apart - but it is of value to indicate the actions that the school has taken because there has been a great deal of misinformation.
Once again, this provides an opportunity to demonstrate the diametrically-opposed views that one member of parliament can hold. I refer to the Leader of the Opposition who has been carrying on about violence in a community in his electorate. Because of the people's rights - there is never a mention of their responsibilities - he believes that the government should rush in to fix the problem. I did not hear him screaming for police action against the perpetrators of the violence in that community, yet they are very well-known to him and there were very serious levels of violence. When it comes to writing about primary school students, who are the same age as those from Alawa Primary School who visited the House earlier today, 11-year-olds in Year 6, then it is a different story. When he writes about ...
Mr Ede interjecting.
Mr FINCH: It does not apply! There are 2 different standards.
Mr Ede: Garbage!
Mr FINCH: There are 2 different approaches to violence.
Mr Ede: Garbage! It is the protection of the law. People deserve it and have a right to it.
Mr FINCH: Let me explain. I suppose the Leader of the Opposition has never been involved in schoolyard blues or donnybrooks in his life. Perhaps he jumped to conclusions about this matter because of the media. However, knowing his attitude of being soft on criminals, he wrote to me in fairly intriguing terms. He writes to murderers in jail. His attitude and that of his colleagues is to let them all out.
Mr Ede: What a load of garbage!
Mr FINCH: He was talking about the processes being inadequate, but I will tell him what is inadequate. This comment of his is inadequate: 'I believe that an assault in the schoolyard is no less an offence than an assault in the community at large'. He has put this schoolyard bullying, which is totally unacceptable, in the same perspective as the events at
Page 323
Nyirripi. In the next sentence - and this is the one that I find offensive - he stated: 'It is a criminal matter and needs to be addressed as such'. He did not say that it 'might be' a criminal matter. He said that we should get into stuck these 11-year-olds, but we should not worry about the serious violent offences in the community about which he well knows and shuts his mouth.
It is all right for members opposite to talk about this government's attitude, but this government talks not only about the rights of the individual but also the responsibilities of the individual. As long as Labor here and in Canberra adopt the patronising approach towards Aboriginals that they adopt today, neither the Aboriginals nor the Labor Party will ever get anywhere.
In relation to the actions of the school, let me assure members, particularly those from the Alice Springs region, that it took appropriate steps immediately. Contrary to the views held by the Leader of the Opposition and the media, the matters were taken seriously and action was taken swiftly. I hope the member for Wanguri takes note of the 40- or 50-page document, which was tabled for him last night, relating to the Department of Education's policies in this regard. After ensuring the physical safety of the individual students as a first priority, the offenders were isolated and put into in-school suspension - that is, they have no contact with other students except when they are in the class during class time itself.
Counselling was offered to the students involved and to their parents. We had people in place immediately to counsel them. Notes were sent home to all parents advising them of the incident and the subsequent action taken by school. Behaviour contracts were drawn up with the main perpetrators. The school itself has an active behaviour management team that meets on a weekly basis. This has been in place not only since the event but before it. The staff are trained in the 'Stop Think Do' program, as well as the many other behaviour management programs that the Department of Education has in place. The offences are serious and they are being treated as such. However, they are not being treated, as the Leader of the Opposition would have it, by locking up the 11-year-olds and describing this, without any qualification, as a 'criminal matter'. What a double standard!
Mr Ede: What a load of garbage!
Mr FINCH: He has a patronising attitude in one part of the community - that is, the bush - compared with what he says in town. Depending on the audience to whom he is talking, he says 2 different things.
Page 324
Last updated: 09 Aug 2016