Schools across New South Wales, including those in the New England region, will soon be required to triage and respond to bullying incidents more quickly and consistently, under a landmark framework released by the State Government.
The NSW Anti-Bullying Framework marks the first coordinated, cross-sector approach to tackling bullying in Australia. It applies to all 3,120 government, Catholic and independent schools, each of which has committed to adopting policies aligned with the new standards.
Under the new requirements, schools will only be registered if they have clear policies detailing how bullying is prevented, how support is provided to affected students—typically within two school days—and how schools document the actions taken. A triage process will also be mandatory, ensuring urgent cases are dealt with immediately, with student safety prioritised.
Implementation will begin in 2026, with the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) to conduct spot checks from Term 1, 2027.
Acting Minister for Education and Early Learning Courtney Houssos said the policy represents a significant step forward in protecting students across the state.
“Our government is committed to addressing the scourge of bullying and will continue to work with all schools to stamp it out,” she said.
“Under our approach, for the first time, every NSW school will follow a common, evidence-based approach to preventing and responding to bullying.”
The reforms stem from a 2024 directive by Deputy Premier and Education Minister Prue Car, which called on NESA to work with the Department of Education, Catholic Schools NSW and Independent Schools NSW to design an evidence-based, best-practice framework.
Houssos said the work benefited from extensive input, both domestic and international.
“Thanks to the work of Professor Donna Cross and our partners in the Catholic and Independent school sectors, along with the Commonwealth Government, we now have a framework built on extensive local and international expertise,” she said.
“This means schools can identify the strategies that work best for their students, backed by high-quality research and evidence, and put them into practice where they’ll make the most difference.”
Development of the framework was guided by Emeritus Professor Donna Cross OAM, a leading expert on student wellbeing and behaviour. She said the approach is grounded in research and shaped by real-world consultation.
“There is strong evidence, both locally, nationally and internationally that shows some approaches to reducing bullying are more helpful than others,” Cross said.
“In meeting with teachers, principals, students and families, it’s clear that schools in NSW have been working hard to reduce bullying in their communities.
“This Framework is designed to support schools with high quality evidence to identify where they should focus their efforts and resources to reduce bullying behaviour, and to stop doing what the research tells us is ineffective.”
The development process drew on feedback from more than 370 individuals and 40 stakeholder groups, including parents, students, teachers and school leaders. Advice was also provided by 20 international experts across 10 countries.
The framework aligns with recommendations from the Australian Government’s Rapid Review, ensuring NSW schools meet both state and national standards. All anti-bullying policies must now be based on four mandatory pillars: prevention, response, implementation and community partnerships.
In rural and regional areas such as New England, where access to resources can vary, the coordinated rollout is expected to offer critical support. The government and non-government sectors have pledged to share materials, training and resources to assist schools across the board.
The Anti-Bullying Framework and a suite of supporting tools—including practice examples and recommended actions—will be publicly available at:
https://www.nsw.gov.au/education-and-training/nesa/school-regulation/nsw-anti-bullying-framework.
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