Bullying incidents across NSW schools will be triaged, formally recorded and responded to within days under a new statewide Anti-Bullying Framework released by the State Government on Saturday.

The announcement comes just days after the official start of Australia's world-first ban on social media platforms for under-16s, a move widely supported by anti-bullying organisations.

All 3120 government, Catholic and independent schools have committed to implementing policies aligned with the framework, marking the first sector-wide, mandatory approach to tackling bullying anywhere in Australia.

For the first time, schools will only be registered if they have clear policies outlining how bullying is prevented, how affected students are supported in a timely way – typically within two school days – and how actions taken are documented. Schools will also be required to introduce a triage process to ensure urgent cases are addressed immediately, with student safety prioritised.

The framework will be rolled out from next year, with the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) to conduct spot checks from Term 1, 2027, to ensure compliance across all sectors.

The work was guided by leading behaviour expert Emeritus Professor Donna Cross OAM and shaped through extensive consultation involving more than 370 individuals, 40 stakeholder groups and 20 international experts across 10 countries.

Professor Cross said the framework was grounded in evidence.

“This Framework is designed to support schools with high quality evidence to identify where they should focus their efforts and resources to reduce bullying behaviour, and to stop doing what the research tells us is ineffective,” she said.

Development of the framework followed a directive in late 2024 from Deputy Premier and Education Minister Prue Car and was led by NESA in partnership with the NSW Department of Education, Catholic Schools NSW and Independent Schools NSW.