I support this great motion. As the education Minister said, banning mobile phones in schools is a no-brainer. It is supported by teachers, it is supported by parents and, strange though it may seem, it is supported by many students. I can say confidently that many teachers, parents and students in my electorate overwhelmingly support it. They want their children to go to school to learn. They want classrooms to operate as learning centres. They want their children focused on their education and not constantly on their phones. As a former teacher, I often run into my kindy students and one of them recently stopped to have a chat with me at the train station. She is now in year 9 and she sits on the student representative council, which recently discussed quite openly the fact that many students have been victims of online bullying. She said that many had been fat shamed or body shamed and see the phone in the classroom as another weapon—not just a tool, but a weapon. She told me she was very happy that we now have a government and an education Minister who are listening to the students.

The former education Minister, the Hon. Sarah Mitchell, knew this. In opposition, Labor obtained correspondence from parents across New South Wales. They had been pleading with the Government for a ban on mobile phones. In fact, they were pleading for help. Some of the correspondence was reported inThe Sunday Telegraph on 19 November last year. Some of it is heartbreaking. One father who wanted to meet the former education Minister said:

We have a child who has started year 7 this year at his local high school. My child has gone from being extremely excited and passionate about being at school to last night begging my wife and I to stay home and not go to school. At lunch and recess, our child has confirmed … instead of running around, playing or just simply having a chat, face-to-face is non-existent and that kids are now glued to their mobile phones either playing games, or more disturbing, watching videos on platforms like TikTok and or Snapchat that are extremely inappropriate and not age appropriate.

He went on to say:

Currently our child is getting rejected from other kids when asking if they want to play sport at lunch claiming "it's boring". Since when is kicking a ball … boring to 12-year-olds?

Can you imagine being that desperate parent, to have your child not wanting to go to school because kids just want to be on their phones? It is unbelievable that it has come to this—children are being ostracised by their friends just because they would rather play sport and run around. A mother wrote:

I have a son who started year 7 this year and mobile phones are a plague. The school is doing its best to control usage … but mobile phones remain an issue. Our children need help! In my view, it would be a dereliction of duty from parents, educators and the education system to allow these phone, internet, game or, worse, porn addictions to develop. We must ALL act together to protect our younger generations.

That mother was pleading for help. Another mum said:

I am appalled at how the teenagers are allowed to be on their phones all day at NSW public high schools. As parents, we need to be listened to. We taught our kids how to have healthy screen use and it has all gone out the window since starting high school. My son is complaining that he can't make friends and he is distracted in class because his friends are all on their phones, group projects are awful because he is the only one paying attention to the project. I don't know one parent who thinks this is a good idea.

They are the types of things I have heard in my electorate. Not one parent has written to argue against the idea of banning phones. We have heard from schools, many principals and the system that there are benefits. The benefits are positive. I do not believe the Liberal-Nationals members opposite have not heard the same from their constituents. It is just unbelievable. It is time to bring in a policy that makes sense. I commend the motion.