Jobs ban on school bullies as part of new Australian program

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By The Daily Telegraph

SYDNEY -

Jobseekers in Australia will undergo character checks and could be refused employment if they were bullies at school.

In a new offensive against high school bullies, employers will reject job applications from young people who have engaged in bullying, cyber stalking, harassment or threatening behavior.

The industry body for registered clubs in New South Wales, ClubsNSW, will launch the scheme Friday, with a trial involving 12 major employers and plans to next year roll it out to 1,400 clubs employing 43,000 staff statewide.

Under the BullyCheck scheme, which is being supported by the NSW government, job applicants aged 17 to 22 will be asked to consent to a reference check from their current or former high school and will not be hired if they fail the character test.

The scheme, which could be expanded to other major employers, follows a number of extreme bullying incidents in which teenage victims have been driven to suicide. Schools have been accused of failing to deal with malicious and unprovoked attacks.

Club chiefs said it was the first program with real consequences for bullies -- putting them on notice their behavior could seriously jeopardize their job prospects and ability to buy a car, a house or travel.

Schools participating in the program agreed to provide information confidentially to employers about a job applicant's background.

"The message is simple -- if you bully then you are risking your own career prospects," ClubsNSW CEO Anthony Ball said.