Dr Bruce Flegg
Member for Moggill

LNP Shadow Education Minister Dr Bruce Flegg said after almost 20 years in power, the tired, incompetent Bligh Labor Government were increasingly having to rely on the LNP for new ideas in education policy.

"Four months ago, I introduced laws into State Parliament to give police, principals and teachers greater powers to confiscate mobile phones and other technology used to cyber bully and now Labor has finally followed suit," he said.

"Cyber bullying is a growing problem but Bligh and Labor did nothing until pressured into action by the LNP.

"It is becoming all too common to hear of school students staging brutal attacks just to record the violence on their mobile phones and then share it with their mates or post it online.

"It is important to send a message to the community that these sorts of actions are no more acceptable than any other form of intimidation."

Dr Flegg said it was a shocking revelation from Bligh and Labor that principals had inadequate powers up until now to confiscate drugs, pornographic material, and other inappropriate material.

"While the introduction of these new powers is welcome, it is long overdue and you have to wonder why it took Bligh and Labor so long to act," he said.

Dr Flegg said Labor’s move to copy the LNP’s cyber bullying crackdown was just the latest in a long line of policy plagiarism, with LNP plans for extra help for small regional schools, stronger powers for principals to expel students and amended anaphylaxis guidelines also being adopted recently.