JENI O’DOWD: Australia needs a national anti-bullying policy to save young lives. Governments must act now

Remember that annoying woman from The Simpsons who constantly says: “Will somebody please think of the children!”?

Well, as we all know, that show was ahead of its time with many of its predictions, and sadly, it seems that plea is more relevant now than ever. Our kids are suffering, and too often, they’re paying the ultimate price — like 12-year-old Charlotte O’Brien, who tragically took her own life after enduring relentless bullying at school.

Charlotte wasn’t an anomaly. She was part of a growing epidemic of youth suicides in Australia, where 77 children and adolescents under 17 took their own lives in 2022 alone.

Of those, most were aged 15 to 17. But Charlotte? She was only 12 years old. She was a bright, vibrant young girl who should have had her whole life ahead of her. How many more lives will be lost before our government — at both the Federal and State levels — genuinely thinks of the children and does something?

We need a nationwide, coordinated approach to tackle bullying — not just the cyberbullying that’s often in the headlines, but the in-person bullying happening in classrooms and schoolyards across the country every day.

While there has been some progress at the State level, such as the NSW Government’s Dolly’s Law, introduced after the tragic suicide of 14-year-old Dolly Everett, the focus has primarily been on online harassment.

While cyberbullying laws are important, they are not enough. There’s a glaring gap in how in-person bullying is addressed, and the enforcement of these laws varies widely across States.

Dolly Everett’s family founded the Dolly’s Dream Foundation to raise awareness and fight for stronger anti-bullying measures.

They’ve done incredible work, calling for comprehensive reforms that target not just online harassment but bullying in all its forms. Meanwhile, organisations like Beyond Blue have also emphasised the need for more extensive mental health support in schools.

And the National Centre Against Bullying has been advocating for uniform anti-bullying legislation nationwide so every school has the tools and accountability it needs to keep students safe.

But despite these efforts, we still don’t have a cohesive, national strategy to tackle the bullying epidemic head-on — or any laws mandating that schools report severe or repeated cases of bullying to the relevant authorities.

Charlotte O’Brien attended Santa Sabina College in Strathfield, NSW, a private girls school with tuition fees up to $28,000 a year, where her family alleges she was bullied for two years.

This isn’t just a fleeting or isolated incident. This was sustained torment — long enough to deeply affect a child’s mental health. Yet, when the media reported on Charlotte’s death, Santa Sabina’s principal, Paulina Skerman, claimed the allegations of bullying were “new claims” and “not consistent” with the school’s records.

If bullying claims are new to the school, one has to wonder: why? If a 12-year-old girl endures two years of bullying, how is the school unaware?

Charlotte’s family wasn’t silent; they raised their concerns. The media also reported that current and former students, as well as parents, have raised questions about how Santa Sabina handles bullying allegations.

And yet, what was Principal Skerman’s response? She said she had been “overwhelmed” by calls from parents “objecting to the portrayal of our college as failing to deal with matters that cause distress amongst our students.”

She also directed people to read the school’s anti-bullying policy on the website. Really? That’s the response to a 12-year-old taking her own life? Where was the urgency to investigate? Where was the acknowledgement that the system failed Charlotte?

In the wake of this tragedy, the principal’s statements sound like damage control.

I know first-hand that Charlotte’s case isn’t unique at Santa Sabina. A friend of mine had a daughter at the same school, and she experienced such severe bullying in Year 8 that she started self-harming.

A formerly bright, high-achieving student, she saw her grades drop dramatically. Despite her mother’s repeated efforts — emails, phone calls, in-person meetings — the school offered little more than counselling and a quiet room for her daughter.

No meaningful action was taken against the girl doing the bullying, even though the teachers knew she had a history of tormenting others. Once again, the system failed a vulnerable young girl.

When my friend finally pulled her daughter out of Santa Sabina, the bullying didn’t stop. It followed her to her new school via social media. The threats, the hateful messages — they just wouldn’t stop.

She was told not to leave her house, or she’d be bashed. It wasn’t until my friend went to the police and threatened legal action that the bullying finally ended.

All it took was a phone call from the police to the bully’s parents. So, why shouldn’t schools report serious bullying cases to external authorities like the police or child protective services?

In 2023, 936 people in NSW took their own lives. Of those, 23 were under 18, nine girls and 14 boys. These numbers are staggering. Yet, despite these tragedies, schools are often expected to handle bullying internally unless it escalates to criminal behaviour like physical assault.

Why isn’t there a nationwide law mandating that schools report severe or repeated cases of bullying to the relevant authorities?

It’s time for the Federal Government to introduce Charlotte’s Law — a comprehensive national framework addressing school bullying across all States and Territories.

This law should require every school to have a mandatory anti-bullying policy and reporting procedures for severe cases.

There should also be standardised disciplinary actions, including suspension, counselling, or expulsion for persistent bullies.

When my friend’s daughter told her mother she simply couldn’t return to Santa Sabina, she was only 13 years old.

Charlotte O’Brien was just 12 years old. These girls deserved better from their schools, their communities, and their governments.

How many more children have to die before we act?

Lifeline 13 11 14 www.lifeline.org.au

Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 www.kidshelp.com.au

headspace 1800 650 890 www.headspace.org.au