PV media comment

Parents Victoria CEO Gail McHardy was interviewed on ABC Radio Statewide Drive yesterday, responding to the State Government’s announcement of an overhaul to the state’s child safety system. The government has accepted all 22 recommendations of the recent Rapid Child Safety Review and proposed tougher regulations and training requirements for people who work with children.

You may remember that students were banned from having mobile phones in Victorian government schools in 2020. The Herald-Sun reported recently that “Teachers and education experts are calling for wearable devices to be included in the Victorian phone ban, as schools take drastic measures to stamp out poor concentration and anti-social behaviour. Schools are confiscating

Today’s Herald-Sun reports on new powers that will soon be available to school principals to suspend or expel students for misconduct outside of school. According to the article: …school leaders will soon have the authority to discipline pupils whose actions – both in person and online – outside school grounds risk the welfare of their peers and

There has been some media coverage of a suggestion that a system of fines for online defamation could be introduced. The suggestion was made by the Chair of the Independent Office of School Dispute Resolution, Frank Handy, as reported in this article in the Age. Frank Handy also spoke to Chris Bath on ABC Radio

The Age reported yesterday on the recent decline in parent satisfaction with public schools in Victoria. The article begins: “Parent satisfaction rates for Victorian public high schools have hit almost 15-year lows at the same time as students are feeling more disconnected, amid fears that ongoing teacher shortages and a reliance on technology in classrooms