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<\/p>\nTeachers and school staff who “poison young minds” with hate speech in the classroom, or outside school, could be sacked by the state schools’ regulator, the NSW premier says.<\/p>\n
The NSW government said it was continuing a crackdown on offensive speech across the community in the wake of the Bondi terror attack, which targeted the Jewish community.<\/p>\n
Hate speech, as defined under strengthened state laws, will be prohibited in the codes of conduct set out by all school sectors and will now apply to all members of school staff.<\/p>\n
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Chris Minns says hate speech from educators and school staff will not be tolerated. (ABC News: Ethan Rix)<\/p>\n
Premier Chris Minns said the government wanted more powers to act against teachers who incited racial hatred, because of their influence on children.<\/p>\n
“We know young people are impressionable,” he said.<\/p>\n
“We know that people who are in positions of authority, particularly educators, are responsible for shaping their views and outlooks in the years ahead.”<\/p>\n
‘We’re not going to wait’<\/p>\n
Last year, the NSW Labor government introduced a maximum penalty of two years in prison or a $11,000 fine for intentionally inciting racial hatred.<\/p>\n
Mr Minns on Tuesday said the NSW Education Standards Authority (NESA) would now be able to take action against school staff that breached that definition of hate speech.<\/p>\n
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The state school regulator would be responsible for taking action against educators under hate speech reforms. (ABC News: Keana Naughton)<\/p>\n
“[Hate speech laws] are an important principle and should apply across the board, not just in relation to marches in the city or social media posts,” he said.<\/p>\n
“We’re not going to wait for a police prosecution and then a court case.<\/p>\n
“If it’s clear to NESA that there’s been a breach, then sanctions will apply.”<\/p>\n
The NSW Teachers Federation defended the conduct of teachers and said it was seeking a briefing on the changes.<\/p>\n
“NSW teachers are renowned for their values of inclusion and compassion,” a spokesperson said.<\/p>\n
“Teachers maintain a high standard of professionalism and commitment to their work.<\/p>\n
“We understand the department has yet to commence assessing the code of conduct and we have sought discussions with them on this matter.”<\/p>\n