Whether Cr Rudge's motion is successful or not, she is to be congratulated for raising the issue.

While the issue of bullying and harassment has been with societies forever, it is necessary to count the cost to individuals and do better.

It can start in the family, in primary school, in secondary school, in the workplace and every other endeavour that we as a society undertake.

IN OTHER NEWS AROUND BATHURST:

And after many years of life, my own suggestion is that it must be confronted first on a personal level and, more importantly today, on a communal level.

It's hard enough to confront someone one-on-one in person to say "your actions/shouting/name-calling/put-downs, etc" made me feel awful.

How much harder is it in today's online world where anyone can launch an attack on an individual and not face any consequence?

I would counsel Cr Rudge to delete her Facebook account and relaunch another one later on. Many professionals have to do that in this day and age.

For children, my suggestion is radical. Don't have any social media accounts. Social contact should be in person until you are 18. Parents, act now.

Finally, what most of us want is to be "a productive, honest, courteously treated human" (Caitlin Moran, 2011).