NSW Premier Mike Baird has outlined the State Government’s (Government) plan to address youth extremism through a range of measures within schools and the wider community. The Government plans to introduce:
ABC News reports that these measures have been accelerated following the October shooting of Police employee Curtis Cheng by a 15-year-old in Parramatta. The Government’s announcement was welcomed by the State Opposition, Federal Government and community leaders.
The issue of radicalisation in schools has attracted significant attention recently. The concerns regarding the influence of violent extremist groups on marginalised and vulnerable students were discussed in our article earlier this year. Radicalisation is a process closely associated with Islamic extremist groups such as Islamic State (IS), and there are fears that students may be encouraged to travel to fight in overseas conflicts, as discussed by ABC News earlier this year. The issue of violent extremism was demonstrated by the shooting of Curtis Cheng.
One of the key problems with policing this issue is that it is often difficult for communities or schools to identify when students are at risk. This is due to the fact that the propaganda for extremist groups like IS is delivered online, making the ability of schools and communities to recognise radicalisation more challenging. The new Government measures aim to address this problem by including a wide range of stakeholders to create a holistic approach.
The Government’s announcement contains a broad range of initiatives that aim to combat violent extremism from a variety of angles. Teachers will be offered training to help them identify and manage concerns. As this is often a complex and difficult task, five specialist teams comprised of professionals such as former principals and psychologists will assist “identified schools” in response to critical incidents, and will work with the school and the broader community. Two hundred counsellors will be trained to recognise and assist vulnerable students.
The funding required to support these measures will be available to all schools, including religious and independent schools within NSW.
The Guardian reports that other measures to be introduced will focus on community cohesion, such as:
The Government’s initiatives were welcomed by community leaders such as Lebanese Muslim Association president Samier Dandan. He emphasised the “refreshing” nature of the proposals, which were the result of several months of consultation with the Muslim community. Mr Dandan also applauded the fact that the Government had centralised the management of a range of measures that would involve many different areas of government, which will help to achieve the goals of the program.
Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said that the measures had the full support of the Federal Government. Speaking at an event at a primary school, the Prime Minister stated that violent extremism, like domestic violence, required an ongoing dialogue that emphasised respect. The State Opposition Education spokesperson Linda Burney stated that the program was a good start in tackling this problem, but highlighted the need for community participation and expressed concern about the uncertainty of long-term funding.
Domestic extremism is a complex area that is addressed by the Federal Government and State and Territory Governments with mixed results. The Federal Government’s anti-radicalisation pamphlet attracted widespread ridicule for its portrayal of extremism through the example of ‘Karen’, which drew links between alternative music and a risk of environmental radicalisation.
The Victorian Government has also taken steps to combat extremism, through monitoring the online presence of children in the state and creating a set of guidelines which will not be released to the public. The Age reports that the Victorian Education Department has also been working alongside the Police to identify issues and provide support to schools.
Schools are well-placed to identify developing student radicalisation. Any form of Government assistance to help schools identify and manage such vulnerable students will only enhance the safety of the members of a school community and Australia in general.