What can I do to stop bullying from the Department of Education?? (More to the point and setting a very bad example for young people)

When someone who has committed a crime has been caught and his/her guilt has been proven, they are handed down a punishment and depending on the nature and severity of their crime, they may be fined, ordered to do community service and/or go to jail for a period of time. My question is, why aren't bullies treated in the same manner as criminals? My second question is, wouldn't this be a deterrant for most bullies if they were continually punished for their crime until such time as their bully behaviour ceased? Obviously, the nature of the bullying, the length of time the bullying has been going on for and the effects of the bullying felt by the victim would all need to be taken into consideration when issuing a type of punishment, and clearly, jail is not an option for minors, but certainly the act of bullying should be treated as a crime, and therefore punishable. All the talking, the 'standing up to bullying' campaigns, and the encouragement for bystanders to intervene is barely going to have a positive impact, if at all. Has it worked so far? NO. Most people, including minors, are aware of what constitutes bullying. How many times does this need to be taught, over and over again? Why now are you encouraging bystanders (witnesses to bullying) to intervene and how to intervene? Most bystanders will not intervene from fear of getting hurt, ostracized or becoming the next victim. Appropriate punishment is your ONLY solution and this could extend to the so-called parents of minors who bully, who fail to implement certain disciplinary measures and punishments handed down to their children. Its about time some REAL action is taken but this time with the perpetrators, the actual bullies who cause so much misery to others. Its all well and good educating society and students, in particular, and its all well and good encouraging bystands to intervene, but appropriate punishment should also be implemented as well as intensive education programs for bullies to attend to the point of ad naseum and until the message has finally sunk in. Lets stop fluffling around and finally address the real issue which lays with the bullies, which is their aberrant behaviour. Every bully MUST learn that a certain action or behaviour will have a consequence and that good behaviours will ellicit a positive response, and bad behaviours will attract a negative response as well as an appropriate punishment. Its really not that hard. This is the basics in discipline but we seem to be missing our mark or not altogether capturing all that needs to be done. Let's finally get this right before more children/teenagers take their lives.

Bystanders who witness bullying and take no action should be legally responsible for not observing good health and safety practices in our schools, communities and workplaces.

Bullying in the workplace - happens everywhere and it's not okay, but even the workplaces who have documentary support for a non bullying workplace, in reality support bullying because they are loathe to act on their own guidelines. I've been humiliated and bullied in 2 different workplaces - both law firms. I can't believe it will ever change and that saddens me.

A good way to stop bullying would be to set a good example in schools and other public institutions? Schools are bullying parents and children by imposing mandatory chronic exposure to microwave frequencies with wi-fi in schools. How is this possible when the WHO has classified Radiofrequency as a Possible Carcinogen? Russia has radiation protection standards far stricter than Australia! The Parliamentary Council of Europe recommends that children use a wired internet connection wherever possible! In addition to this, power companies in several states are currently bullying consumers by mandating smart meters (also radiofrequency) against their wishes. We teach our children by example.

When I first spoke to the staff at my daughter's primary school about my concerns regarding the bullying she had experienced including repeated taunts of being 'fat', I was told that they were working with the kids to become more resilient. Although resilience is obviously a valuable quality to emcourage and develop I don't believe it is the bullied child's responsibility to become more resilient in response to bullying. My older daughter developed an eating disorder that nearly claimed her life following a similar experience of bullying that criticised her appearance and threatened the establishment of a healthy body image during a vulnerable developmental period. I informed the school of my concerns in relation to my younger daughter and fortunately they developed a zero tolerance policy to bullying. As well as supporting my daughter they worked with the children who were bullying to increase their awareness of the potential impact of what they we're doing and how it might make the bullied person feel. The children concerned apologised to my daughter and I felt satisfied with the outcome. Children who are bullied have a right to feel safe, to not be afraid to speak up and have their concerns heard and taken seriously without the onus being placed on them to toughen up and become more resilience.

Until politicians stop bullying each other in parliament and also via the media there will be no change to bullying in workplaces, schools and in the media. They are the supposed role models for our society and their actions and behaviour reflect the Australian culture. Try to change bullying at the top and may be, just maybe it will filter down through our Australian society.

I'm with Glenda. We see some of the worst bullying in Australian Politics, but under the banner "Politics". We only need to take a snap shot of the things the current opposition leader has said to and about our Prime Minister. He is the absolute perfect example of a bully, and his power is growing. So the message is that the more you bully, the more your power grows.

Music and Puppets can help in the fight against bullying - young children need the message presented in a way they can relate to and remember - check out www.jamzoo.biz for their anti-bullying show that can be presented in schools.

Great resources on Bullying from mental health organisation Beyond Blue here http://www.youthbeyondblue.com/factsheets-and-info/fact-sheet-20-bullying/

If there was a button similar to the "Like" button on Facebook that became a global one, people would use it. For example, a button or clickable link similar to "Like" that was labelled as "Bully" or "Not nice", I think everyday people would use it. Regards Sally http://www.alacraft.com.au/