NSW Education Department updates anti-bullying policy following federal rapid review

New South Wales has revised its statewide anti-bullying policy for public schools in response to the federal Anti-Bullying Rapid Review, introducing new guidance for principals on responding to cyberbullying incidents that occur outside school hours but involve enrolled students. The updated policy, released by the NSW Department of Education on 30 September 2026, clarifies that schools have a duty of care to intervene in online harassment between students even when it takes place on private messaging platforms or during weekends and holidays, aligning the state framework with recommendations in the national review. The policy mandates that schools must document all reported cyberbullying cases and escalate serious incidents involving threats, sexual content or sustained targeting to the eSafety Commissioner and, where appropriate, to NSW Police.

When intervention depends on a child or bystander coming forward, many incidents remain invisible until crisis point. The anti-grooming and anti-sextortion modules developed by Guardii detect coercive and sexually exploitative language in direct messages as the conversation develops, alerting parents and school safeguarding leads in real time and enabling the rapid escalation the NSW policy now requires. Backed by Startmate and operating across Instagram, Snapchat, Discord and Roblox, the platform identifies threat patterns rather than reading every message, preserving privacy while closing the detection gap that has left schools reliant on retrospective reports and often unable to act before serious harm is done.