Kim O’KEEFFE (Shepparton) (14:44): I rise to make a contribution on the Education and Training Reform Amendment Bill 2026. This bill makes a number of amendments to Victoria’s education framework, including measures relating to students’ use of personal electronic devices in schools, teacher registration and regulation through the Victorian Institute of Teaching, improvements to student data systems through the Victorian student register and the unique student identifier and becoming more inclusive of First Nations people. In particular the bill requires all schools to implement policies restricting student use of personal electronic devices during school hours, reform teacher registration and regulatory process through the Victorian Institute of Teaching and expand the Victorian student register to support national data reforms, including the unique student identifier. The bill makes a minor statute law revision to the Education and Care Services National Law Act 2010. The bill seeks to address a number of areas of the state’s education system in one bill, which provides a consolidated approach to the reform.
Six years ago the government implemented restrictions on mobile phones and electronic devices in non-government schools during school hours, a policy which has had strong support across the wider education sector.
I wish to focus more on this part of the bill. As I mentioned in this place recently, unfortunately my community just a few weeks ago experienced firsthand a very serious assault on a student that was filmed on a phone in the schoolyard and then shared on social media. It was horrific to see young girls inflicting such an awful assault on a young girl and then that content posted. There was another horrific incident the week before, when a group of girls attacked and bashed two 11-year-old girls, following them home from school when they got off the bus. Again, this was a vicious and sickening attack that was filmed and shared on social media, and the footage was hard to watch. What is so alarming about these incidents is the young age of these perpetrators – 13 and 14 years of age. It is alarming to think that children of that age want to inflict such harm on others. As you can imagine, these violent incidents have traumatised the victims, left families distressed and left many members of the community deeply concerned about the safety of their children. Victoria Police are currently investigating these incidents. These are not isolated incidents, and youth crime and youth violence have increased. What is incredibly alarming, as I have mentioned, is the young age of many of these offenders.
The bill does provide an opportunity for stronger protections and clearer expectations around the misuse of devices in our government schools, something that is needed to address this ongoing issue. Some of the footage that you see on social media these days, regardless of whatever platform you see it on, has an impact, and that impact can have a significant impact on a child now and well into their future. Schools must be a place of safety, learning and respect. What we have seen are ongoing incidents where fights, assaults, bullying and acts of humiliation are increasing and being deliberately filmed on mobile phones and personal devices and shared online for entertainment, attention or social media status. This behaviour simply magnifies harm far beyond the original incident itself. A student who is assaulted or bullied no longer only experiences the trauma once in a schoolyard or on the street. Instead, that footage can be replayed, reposted and circulated indefinitely. That humiliation becomes permanent and public. It follows young people into their homes and onto their devices and significantly impacts on their own mental health and wellbeing and puts them at significant risk.
Teachers, principals and families are also becoming more deeply concerned about the growing culture of bullying and intimidation and the increasing number of social media posts from students’ devices. Staff are also reporting situations where behavioural incidents are escalated because students are attempting to record them for social media content rather than to de-escalate the whole situation or even to seek help. Parents are alarmed that images or videos of their children can end up online without consent, and in some cases footage involving minors has circulated widely before schools or even families are aware of its existence and presence. We know that once material is online, removing it completely is very difficult and challenging.
This bill is a step in the right direction. Mobile phones, wearable devices and personal devices will be proscribed as a minimum standard for registration under the bill. It is hoped that this policy itself will improve student focus on learning and increase socialisation and physical activity during breaks so they are not just an opportunity to create social media content. We need to have students socialising with their peers and becoming more active. Too many hours are spent on devices and less time is spent interacting and socialising. However, if we are serious about supporting student safety and mental health and wellbeing and addressing the increasing incidence of antisocial behaviour and the level of assaults and escalating youth crime that we have been experiencing, so much more needs to be done. When young people find themselves heading down the wrong path, we need strong intervention, meaningful support and clear accountability to help turn lives around before more harm is done. Whilst there are some programs in schools, they are not working to address the level of aggressive and alarming physical assaults that they are experiencing. We need early intervention and pathways to address this alarming trend. The police, school organisations and the community must work together.
On Sunday in Shepparton there is a walk being organised by the families of the two 11-year-old girls that were brutally attacked. The families and the community are calling for change and highlighting the desperate need to address the rise in youth crime. The event is called Tipping Point, and the slogan is ‘Enough is enough’. We cannot continue up this path of increasing youth crime and increasing physical attacks. Everyone deserves to feel safe at school and in the community. The event is also very focused on the escalating cycle of youth crime across the board – weak bail laws and a weak justice system that constantly sees reoffending. People are not feeling safe in their communities. Just this past week we had the Victoria Police chief commissioner Mike Bush double down on his criticism of the state’s justice system, declaring that his members are quite used to teenagers they have arrested being allowed back out on the streets. That is why, on this side of the house, we have a plan to tackle the crime crisis with 3000 more police officers, tougher sentencing for serious and repeat offenders and early intervention and diversion programs to help young people get back on the right path. That is what is needed: investment into addressing the escalating crime of our state. People are angry, fed up and have had enough.
Coming back to the bill, the bill also strengthens teacher registration and regulatory settings by improving oversight and reinforcing child safety protections, which is important. It is critical that every child feels safe in their school. It is also critical that parents have reassurance that when their children do go to school, they are in a safe and cared-for space.
There are some concerns around student privacy and data security in an increasingly digital education environment and the data governance risks that come with the amendments contained in the bill. The expansion of the student register will increase both the volume and sensitivity of student data collected, which raises legitimate concerns around data security, especially given the number of education-related data breaches that have occurred this year alone. Parents rightly expect that when their children attend school, their personal information will be protected.
Last month a number of universities here in Victoria and across the country, as well as TAFEs and public schools, were caught up in a global data breach. We are living in a time where cyberattacks and data breaches are becoming increasingly common across both the public and the private sectors. Schools hold an enormous amount of sensitive information about their students. When personal student data is compromised in such breaches, the consequences can be significant and long-lasting for students and families if hackers are able to get hold of such information. Parents are understandably concerned about who has access to this information, how it is stored and whether adequate safeguards are in place. As schools rely more heavily on online learning platforms today for learning purposes, apps and digital systems included, the responsibility falls back on government to ensure that there are strong cybersecurity protections. It is not just an IT issue, it is a student safety issue, and we must do everything we can to protect personal data and information.
In my last few minutes I would like to acknowledge all of our hardworking teachers and staff, who do incredible work and who play a significant role in children’s lives and their safety every single day. One of my daughters, as I have mentioned in the chamber before, is a teacher and she loves her job. I visited her school just last week, and the students were very excited about the clothes drive initiative that is currently being organised and hugely successful. The community donates clothes and then the school gives back to the community. Anyone can call in and get what they need. This is the third year that they have run the clothes drive, helping many families and providing a really great opportunity for children to understand that there are people out there in need and needing more support. The smiles on their faces when they were unpacking the clothes and seeing some of the donations was really fun to be part of. As I said, I think it is really important when we come into schools to also see children learning new things and understanding about community initiatives and how they can also make a difference within their communities.
But we must also make sure that our teachers have the resources and the support that they need. We know teachers are experiencing burnout. They often do way more than what they are expected to, working after hours supporting students and doing all the things that they need to do to be fantastic teachers. I am really proud of my daughter as a teacher, and I love hearing her feedback and also about the opportunities for how we can improve that space, something that we should be working hard on every single day to make it better. Teachers deserve so much recognition for what they do, because I can tell you it is more than just a job, absolutely, for many, many teachers, not just my daughter. I think in this place we need to make sure we have the right policies in place, that we can protect children and that we make sure that every single day we are working towards that goal.