The chair of Victoria’s Independent Office for School Dispute Resolution, Frank Handy, has proposed a $1000 fine for parents who defame school teachers online, in response to a growing trend of abuse directed at educators.
According to the 2024 Australian Principals’ Occupational Health, Safety and Wellbeing survey by Australian Catholic University, gossip and slander have reached 65%, while cyberbullying incidents have increased by nearly 88%.
Shadow Education Minister Jess Wilson acknowledged the growing problem and said the opposition is considering a range of policy responses to address poor parent and classroom behaviour, which is contributing to teacher attrition.
Parents Victoria condemned online harassment of teachers but argued that fining parents is not the right solution. CEO Gail McHardy said penalties might deter some, but they don’t address the root cause of the problem.
Education Minister Ben Carroll stated there are no current plans to adopt the fine proposal, noting that systems like the school-wide positive behaviours initiative and community safety orders are already in place to manage extreme cases.
He emphasized that only a small number of safety notices are issued each year, suggesting that the most serious incidents are relatively rare.
