The purpose of this petition is to call for an unbiased and independent investigation into the actions the Department of Education for Children and Young People (DECYP) HR in Tasmania, Australia in my case. Transparency, accountability, and integrity need to reestablish as the guiding principles of this department. This is a matter of public interest as DECYP are responsible for the education and safety of Tasmanian children and young people - and that demands the highest standards of transparency, accountability and integrity. It is only through this action that we can hope for a fair, empathic, and productive educational working environment in Tasmania.

Every signature on this petition strengthens the call for justice. It's time to expose and rectify the damaging culture in our education system. Stand with us. Sign this petition and demand a full, independent investigation into the acts of the Tasmanian DECYP.

When Being “Different” Becomes a Threat: My Journey with Mobbing—& the Fight for Change

In 2017, after over a decade working within the international school system in Indonesia, I returned to Australia & moved to Tasmania.

The international school system I left is a hopeful, vibrant community dedicated to progressive education that fosters global citizenship, encouraging both students & educators to be agents of change for a better world.

When I was offered my first contract with DECYP - The Department of Education for Children and Young People. Tasmania, in July 2019, I found myself responsible for a Grade 2-3 class that was highly dysregulated—full of conflict & resentments towards each other, & clearly not ready for learning. I knew that before any real academic progress could happen, we needed to address that disregulation.

Using a circle time technique I had been privileged to learn from consultants while teaching in London UK, I prioritised learning readiness. I believed this was time well spent. We sat together in a circle & began building class community—we listened to each other’s perspectives with respect. We started to unpack conflicts & resentments that went all the way back to kindy. I was shocked at how deeply acts of unkindness & injustice experienced at a young age had already impacted these children.

I wondered how I could help. How I could move the class forward, to heal, and then start learning with the same joy for life and learning that were so deeply embedded within the international education system and the schools I had worked at previously.

I pinpointed two areas for focus:

1. Kindness. There was a heartbreaking lack of empathy & compassion toward each other.
2. Self-management—the marshmallow test. Students needed to stop reacting impulsively & start developing control over their actions & thoughts, so they could make intentional choices about what they said & how they behaved.

And that work gradually started paying off - we started to see results. That highly dysregulated class calmed. We evolved our communication skills. We developed shared agreements to manage conflicts. Everyone felt safer. And only then—now that they were truly ready to learn—did we begin to see academic progress - and it was accelerated, so the time spent on learning readiness paid off.

But… I had totally not anticipated the systemic pushback.

I was challenging the status quo. My success with students began to be viewed with suspicion—as a threat. I, & my teaching practices, became labeled as “different" - a signal to the wider community that I did not belong. I was being cast as an outsider, even though what I was doing worked. I became aware of malicious gossip. Complaints against me increased. Good work I was doing based on years of teaching experience within progressive education systems - work that I knew was good practice - began to be misrepresented. 

It felt confusing. I felt misunderstood... & I started to feel unsafe. Eventually, I realised that I was under explicit professional attack. It felt frightening & I made plans to leave the school.

That’s when my experience of workplace mobbing began. If I had known then what I know now - the nightmare that would ensue, the serious damage to my career & life, and to my daughter's life - then I would have run—as fast & as far as I possibly could from DECYP & Tasmania. Not because Tasmania is a bad place, & not because there aren’t good people here, but because mobbing is devastating. It spreads like a virus—and the fight to defend yourself against it, is nearly impossible.

Moving schools was not enough. Despite the glossy policies claiming to address workplace bullying, this culture pervades right to the top - from the playgrounds into the classrooms and staffrooms, into DECYP HR and management - and those with the responsibility of oversight for such behaviours have failed to take the actions necessary to address it. My story is a case study that illustrates this failure at all levels.

The gradual dehumanisation of me, so that everyday people felt justified in their cruelty.  

The blatant lies and misrepresentations.

The portrayal of me as an abuser when I was actually the abused.

The heartless attack on my identity as a caring & conscientious educator.

The very real career damage & financial hardship.

The shocking level of calculated cruelty...

But those engaging in the mobbing feel justified. They have no conscience, no compassion—because they have demonised me without foundation - just hearsay. In their minds I "deserve" the abuse.

But I am saying No!

I am not willing to accept such abuse and injustice. This is not right. It is inhumane. Whatever it takes, I am now committed to creating change. To fighting—not just for myself, but for the many others who have also suffered this abuse and injustice and felt powerless to defend themselves.

Some are no longer with us today - The pain just too unbearable. I have come close also...

If you would like to join me in speaking up, in creating a community of support & kindness, in raising one united & strong voice to demand change, a safer, more compassionate world—then please reach out.

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/no-more-mobbing-campaign_this-is-the-start-of-a-campaign-a-campaign-activity-7240570444146188289-2vbq?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_ios

Together, we are stronger. 🧡