Tragic death highlights need to address school violence problems

Premier Bligh and the Labor Party have been challenged to give bipartisan support to proposed new laws from the LNP that will create new offences relating to assaults on school grounds.

The LNP renewed its call for new laws today, following the tragic death of a Brisbane school boy, with Opposition Leader John-Paul Langborek saying there was an urgent need to better protect teachers and students from violent attacks on schools grounds and to crack down on school fight clubs.

Mr Langbroek also called for the release of hidden State Government data that shows the number of weapons confiscated on school grounds.

Mr Langbroek said the LNP had introduced proposed new laws in 2007 to create new offences relating to assaults on school grounds, but Labor used its numbers to defeat the laws.

“My challenge to Ms Bligh and Labor is to show leadership and give bipartisan backing to the LNPs positive policies,” he said.

“The LNP laws aimed to give teachers and students increased protection from violence and to provide police with greater scope to investigate violence in schools,” he said.

“Our laws also sought to crack down on organised fight clubs at schools and moves by some students to glamorise violence by posting images of fights at schools on the internet.

“The LNP is happy to work with the Premier in a bi-partisan way to reintroduce these laws and ensure they are passed by the State Parliament.

“Schools are supposed to provide a safe, comfortable environment for students to learn and teachers to teach – they shouldn’t be a place of violence and intimidation.”

Mr Langbroek said comments from Professor Paul Mazerolle, who headed research and an advisory panel on youth violence for the government, could not be ignored.

“Professor Mazerolle says in many ways our schools really are becoming as violent as schools in the United States and that there is evidence that a knife culture is growing in our schools.

“I know a lot of parents and police would agree very strongly with Professor Mazerolle that there is a significant and growing level of violence in our schools.

“The LNP has previously questioned the Education Minister on how many weapons and what types were confiscated, but he refused to release the figures.

“The Premier can’t claim there is no problem when her Government either doesn’t have figures on how many knives are being confiscated or they are keeping the figures secret.

“School knife violence can only be redressed through strong leadership, education and enforcement.

“There should be absolutely no level of tolerance for knives and knife violence in our schools.

“As the parent of a 12-year-old boy myself, my thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of the students involved.

“The death of this young boy is devastating, and all Queenslanders are grieving today.”