PLANS to strengthen Tasmania’s anti-bullying laws – which could include a raft of measures from criminalising bullying to beefing up cyberstalking legislation – will soon be presented to the Attorney-General.

Tasmania’s Law Reform Institute is putting the final touches on a paper that also is expected to help guide the Tasmanian Government’s approach to dealing with increasingly complex issue of online bullying.

Attorney-General Vanessa Goodwin told the Mercury the paper would be ready by the end of the year.

The news of the report’s release comes in the wake of a Mercury investigation into a series of locally created Facebook sites that shamed young Tasmanian women, prompting a strong reaction from the Children’s Commissioner Mark Morrissey, the Department of Education, Tasmania Police, the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner, the Women’s Legal Service and the families of the children involved.

The sexually explicit pages were eventually taken down following lobbying by the Mercury, but concerns were expressed about the lack of legal recourse for the victims involved.

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Possible responses to be considered by the Attorney-General include:

NEWcyber action would clearly cover cyber-bullying like hate pages or false profiles;

CREATION of a specific bullying offence that would make Tasmania the first jurisdiction in Australia to do so;

CRIMINALISING bullying in its most severe forms;

STRENGTHENING stalking legislation to cover verbal and physical bullying;

MAKING bullying a civil wrong, making it easier for victims to bring an action against a bully;

INTRODUCING bullying intervention orders or “stop bullying” orders;

EXTENDING the functions of the Anti-Discrimination Commissioner to include the investigation and resolution of bullying behaviours that are not of such a serious nature to warrant criminal sanction; and

LEGISLATING to require schools to have some form of anti-bullying policy or procedure.

Law Reform Institute director Terese Henning confirmed a draft report was almost written and would be handed to Dr Goodwin soon.

“The law in relation to bullying is fragmented,” Ms Henning said.

“There is a great deal that is encompassed in the term of bullying. Some is not so serious but some is very serious indeed. Some levels of bullying can lead to self harm, or people taking their own lives.”

Ms Henning said the report has been put together with interstate and international research and feedback from local community organisations and key stakeholders.

Last year the Mercury revealed Dr Goodwin would approach the institute to help identify gaps in legislation.