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NSW to drop Safe Schools anti-bullying program when federal funds expire Tony Abbott welcomes axing of Safe Schools anti-bullying program in NSW
(about 3 hours later)
The New South Wales government has announced a new anti-bullying strategy will replace Safe Schools after the federal government said it would not fund the program beyond mid-year. The former prime minister Tony Abbott has welcomed New South Wales’ announcement the Safe Schools program will be replaced by a new anti-bullying strategy in the state’s schools after the federal government refused to fund it beyond mid-year.
The NSW education minister, Rob Stokes, said in a statement the government was working on a replacement to the strategy, which would be available to teachers by term three. Abbott stressed that, even though the strategy was implemented under his government in 2014, it was a Labor policy.
“Good that NSW is scrapping so called Safe Schools, a social engineering programme dressed up as anti-bullying,” Abbott posted on Twitter on Sunday.
The NSW education minister, Rob Stokes, said in a statement on Sunday the government was working on a replacement strategy, which would be available to teachers by term three.
“The Australian government, who fund and oversee the Safe Schools program, have advised that they will no longer be providing funding for the program by mid-year,” Stokes said.“The Australian government, who fund and oversee the Safe Schools program, have advised that they will no longer be providing funding for the program by mid-year,” Stokes said.
The government was still committed to making sure NSW schools remained supportive of those who are struggling at school, he said. The Safe Schools program drew controversy over its inclusion of gender fluidity and diverse sexuality, with many conservative MPs criticising the program since its inception. But Stokes said it would be replaced with a program which still supported children who struggle at school.
“Bullying will never be accepted in NSW public schools – whether it be because someone is overweight, gay, based on the colour of their skin or for any other reason.” “Bullying will never be accepted in NSW public schools – whether it be because someone is overweight, gay, based on the colour of their skin or for any other reason,” he said.
The Safe Schools program drew controversy over its inclusion of gender fluidity and diverse sexuality, with many conservative MPs criticising the program since its inception. The opposition leader, Bill Shorten, said the program had been used as a “political football by conservative critics” but his party was interested in seeing the new proposal.
“If the NSW government wants to run anti-bullying programs in one way and not another, we’ll have a look at what that means,” Shorten said. “It is important that children go to school and are not bullied on the basis of their sexuality.”