Australian schools will face new requirements for responding to bullying, with updated policies and a two-school-day response timeframe to be implemented by Term 1 2027.
The Australian Government has launched a national anti-bullying awareness campaign alongside new resources and a $10 million investment aimed at helping school communities identify and respond to bullying.
The Let’s Stop Bullying campaign, using the slogan Bullying is harder to spot than you think, highlights that bullying is not always visible and can take different forms depending on the circumstances.
The campaign’s advertisements feature school-aged children asking viewers: “Can you tell which one of us is being bullied? Is it me?” The campaign is designed to encourage students, parents, teachers and the broader school community to recognise potential signs of bullying and take action.
At the centre of the campaign is the new LetsStopBullying.gov.au website, which provides free resources for young people, parents, carers and school communities. Dedicated resources for the school workforce are also being developed to support teachers and school staff in preventing and responding to bullying.
New requirements from Term 1 2027
The campaign forms part of a national plan developed in response to recommendations from the 2025 Anti-Bullying Rapid Review, led by Dr Charlotte Keating and Professor Jo Robinson AM.
The Review found that one in four students in Years 4 to 9 had experienced bullying regularly. It also found that more than half of young people had experienced bullying online, while reports of cyberbullying to the eSafety Commissioner increased by more than 455 per cent between 2019 and 2024.
One of the Review’s key recommendations was for schools to take timely and clear action when a bullying complaint or incident occurs.
Under the new arrangements, schools will be expected to respond to a bullying complaint or incident within two school days. The two-school-day requirement will be fully implemented across Australian schools by Term 1 2027.
Schools will also be required to incorporate the expectations of the National Framework for Addressing Bullying in Australian Schools into their policies and procedures.
By the start of Term 1 2027, government, Catholic and independent schools across Australia will publish anti-bullying policies aligned with the Framework.
For school leaders, the changes provide a clear timeframe to review existing policies and procedures, ensure staff understand their responsibilities and establish processes that enable bullying concerns to be identified, reported and acted upon promptly.
The requirements also reinforce the importance of clear communication with students, parents and carers about how bullying concerns can be raised and how schools will respond.
National campaign focuses on early action
Launching the campaign, Minister for Education Jason Clare said the measures were intended to help schools and families identify bullying earlier and respond effectively.
“Bullying is cruel and it’s dangerous,” Mr Clare said.
“It doesn’t just leave physical scars, it leaves invisible scars that can last a lifetime.”
Mr Clare said the campaign would help parents, teachers and young people recognise bullying and understand what action to take.
The Government said the awareness campaign is part of a broader national approach to addressing bullying, following Education Ministers’ agreement to implement the Review’s recommendations.
For schools, the focus now shifts to implementation, with Term 1 2027 providing a key deadline for ensuring anti-bullying policies, procedures and staff practices align with the National Framework and the new response expectations.
Resources for schools
School leaders, teachers, and non-teaching staff play an important role in preventing and responding to bullying and other harmful behaviours in school communities.
Resources are currently under development for the school workforce and will be available on this website from late 2026.
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