A former principal has blamed “tall poppy syndrome” for the country’s staggering bullying statistics, saying we’re “too laidback” and refuse to impose “consequences for bad behaviour.” Tall poppy syndrome refers to a cultural phenomenon where people are resented, bullied, criticised or shunned because of their success, status, or achievements. WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Former principal explains why Aussie kids are the most bullied in the world. About one in six students are bullied at school according to an Australian Council for Educational Research survey reported by The Daily Telegraph at the weekend , making Australian students the most bullied in the world and prompting the Albanese government to recommend a review. Federal Education Minister Jason Clare has written to state and territory counterparts to push for a united effort to deal with bullying in classrooms and schoolyards, AAP reported. He recommended a short expert-led examination of current school procedures and best practice methods to address bullying. “This would inform policies across jurisdictions and sectors to provide children and parents confidence that no matter where their child goes to school, if they’re experiencing bullying, it will be managed in an appropriate way,” Clare wrote in the letter. The study will be funded by the government and report back to education ministers with options on developing a national bullying standard. On Monday, Tracy Tully, who spent 38 years working in Queensland schools, joined Nat and Shirvo on Sunrise , with her take on why bullying rates in Australia were so high. “It’s called the tall poppy syndrome — it’s been around in Australia forever and sadly very few other countries suffer what we do. The reason being is because we’re too laidback and we don’t action consequences for poor behaviour and we need to,” Tully said. “What we do with the tall poppy syndrome, what we see the kids and their parents also sometimes enacting it, is that they beat down the ones who don’t have a voice. That’s just not good enough. And we can do better. A lot better for the children.” Tully slammed a national standard as being “too little, too late” to “save our youth”. “I’m appalled a something hasn’t been done by now,” Tully said. “Yes, we’re onto the social media, and mobile phones and more policies, and let’s change the curriculum. But that will not help our kids. “They’ve missed the boat, absolutely. “The ship has sailed out and left our children behind. Our children are our most precious priority in this nation, and they’re just not being looked after.” The review comes after Year 7 student Charlotte O’Brien, 12, took her own life in September after allegedly being bullied at Sydney’s Santa Sabina College. The federal government is simultaneously moving to ban Australians younger than 16 from social media platforms including Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, Reddit and X (formerly Twitter). Senior federal minister Murray Watt, who has school-aged children, said the Albanese government wasn’t just acting to combat online bullying. “There are going to be some differences across state borders,” he told reporters in Brisbane. “But I think the Australian public have spoken very clearly that they want to see greater government action and co-operation to stamp out bullying in schools and online.” Facebook and Instagram parent company Meta and X owner Elon Musk have warned the bipartisan-backed social media age limit will affect all Australians, with the method of its implementation remaining unclear. The federal government has ruled out mandatory digital IDs and the coalition has drawn a red line over their implementation. The legislation will go under the microscope during a single-day parliamentary hearing on Monday after a 24-hour window for submissions. The ban could come into effect as early as the end of 2025 due to a minimum 12-month lead time once it passes parliament. If you need help in a crisis, call Lifeline on 13 11 14. For further information about depression contact beyondblue on 1300224636 or talk to your GP, local health professional or someone you trust. Kids Helpline 1800 55 1800 (for people aged five to 25 years) - With AAP
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UCF head coach Gus Malzahn is resigning to become the new offensive coordinator at Florida State, sources told ESPN on Saturday. Malzahn will be FSU's primary playcaller, a role previously held by head coach Mike Norvell. This marks a distinct shift for Norvell, who has shaken up his staff in the wake of a 2-9 season that concludes Saturday night against Florida. Norvell worked with Malzahn back at Tulsa, when he was Malzahn's graduate assistant in 2007 and 2008. Editor's Picks FSU's Norvell fires both coordinators, WR coach 20d Mark Schlabach From 13-0 to 1-9: How historically bad has Florida State's collapse been? 11d Bill Connelly Recruiting intel: Five-stars flip watch; Georgia, Penn State pushing for a QB commit 7h Eli Lederman The move comes in the wake of two uneven seasons for Malzahn at UCF, as it went 6-7 last year and struggled this season in going 4-8. UCF lost eight of its last nine games to finish this year, and Malzahn would have been considered squarely on the hot seat if he had survived into 2025. His four-year tenure with the Knights ends at 28-24, including 5-13 in the Big 12 over the past two years. In 13 seasons as a college head coach, including stints with Arkansas State and Auburn, Malzahn is 105-62. He reached the BCS title game as Auburn's coach in 2013. Now Malzahn heads to Tallahassee and will attempt to help Norvell bounce back from a season in which the Seminoles went 1-7 in the ACC. FSU is just one year removed from a 13-1 season in which it fell just short of a College Football Playoff berth in a controversial decision. Malzahn is an experienced playcaller; he was Auburn's offensive coordinator and playcaller on its 2010 national title team. The move should help recharge FSU's offense, which never looked in sync in 2024. FSU entered Saturday ranked No. 131 in the country in total offense. In Malzahn's 19 years as a collegiate offensive coordinator or head coach, his offenses have averaged 447.7 yards. They've eclipsed 5,000 yards of total offense in a season 16 times, 6,000 yards eight times and 7,000 yards three times. His last three offenses at UCF have all ranked in the top-10 nationally in rushing. That should marry well with Norvell's pass game, which had been a specialty until the offense never got off the ground this season.Good news for those in staycation-planning mode: 2025 is set to be a bumper year for new openings. Exciting new will come courtesy of big-hitting brands, with wellness-focused Six Senses making its debut in as well as newbie properties from Rosewood, and Zetter Hotels in the capital. is having a hotel moment, with Treehouse Hotels and Mollie’s both set to open; ’s guard of elegant townhouse hotels continues to boom thanks to The Edinburgh 16-20 and an outpost from the Hoxton planned; while Newcastle has a double opening whammy with Hotel Gotham and Dakota Newcastle. For those who prefer a rural escape, there are revamped historic manor houses – The Alfriston in East Sussex, and Hyll in the – to look forward to, as well as a beachy escape in Kent from the team behind Camber Sands’ The Gallivant, and unique retreats on 500-acre regenerative Fowlescombe Farm in Devon. We dive into the best for the year ahead. Adding further allure to Alfriston, a picturesque East Sussex village sitting in the South Downs and close to the seaside, comes a newbie hotel from The Signet Collection behind The Mitre and The Retreat at Elcot Park. Known for transforming historic buildings into contemporary hotel hits, the former Deans Place Hotel, a Grade II-listed red brick number, is the latest to receive the treatment. Bedrooms designed by Georgie Wykeham will be awash with soft pinks and aqua hues with upcycled antiques, while suites will feature Colefax and Fowler fabrics, half-tester beds, and bathtubs. 1554 Brasserie’s menu will be packed with produce from the garden’s plots and sourced locally – think steak and Long Man shortcrust pastry pie (Long Man’s brewery is two minutes’ walk away). A bar, Orangery, with hand-painted murals inspired by the arty Bloomsbury Group, and spa with outdoor swimming pool and rejuvenating GAIA treatments will add further pull. Treehouse Hotels is set to bring its rooted-in-sustainability ethos to Manchester city centre. As well as the use of reclaimed and recycled building materials and furnishings, the 224-room property will have a screening room, gym and three restaurants. One restaurant will serve up southeast Asian fare by Sam Grainger, another, Pip by Mary-Ellen McTague, will bring British ingredients to the fore in a forest-feel space with wooden archways and hanging plants. As big on botanicals as it is beats, entertainment and playlists at the top-floor restaurant and rooftop bar will be overseen by DJs Luke Cowdrey and Justin Crawford (aka The Unabombers) and will include a rooftop garden with beehives. Patchwork quilt bedspreads, leaf-shaped cushions, reclaimed teak tables and rainbow-hued gauzy curtains – with blackout blinds beneath – will lend bedrooms a 21st-century cabin feel, plus a team of “fun finder” concierges will be on hand to advise what’s hot in . After a taste of the rural good life? Eight restful suites are set to open in sensitively reimagined stone barns and a Victorian farmhouse at a 500-acre regenerative organic farm, Fowlescombe, in Dartmoor’s foothills. Spearheaded by Caitlin Owens – behind South Pool’s The Millbrook Inn – and her partner architectural designer Paul Glade, stays will be sustainably-minded and offer immersion into farm life. Homely accommodations with meadow views will feature natural materials, including stone quarried on site and mattresses made with wool from Fowlescombe’s flock of Manx Loaghtan sheep, and will have their own cooking facilities. At kitchen-meets-restaurant The Refectory, helmed by Tom Westerland, dishes will show off the farm’s own organic produce and rare-breed meats, with guests able to get involved, picking ingredients, taking chef-led garden walks, or joining bread-making and foraging classes. Those after a slower pace can spend time wandering the holdings’ ancient woodland, discover the ruins of its 16th-century manor house or take a trip to the coast. Another heritage property set for a glow-up is grade II-listed, golden Cotswolds stone Charingworth Manor just outside Chipping Campden. Now in the hands of Sarah and James Ramsbottom – of property company Castlefield Estates – and first-time hoteliers Paul and Lisa Baker, come late spring, its new identity Hyll will come to life. With a vision to “relax the hotel rule book”, expect flexible arrival and departure times, and an unshowy, relaxed atmosphere. As well as an appealing lounge in olive and cream tones and walls hung with Shaun Duke portraits, there are artworks scattered throughout the estate’s 60-acre grounds. Eight manor house bedrooms, with vintage furniture and earthy pottery, have been designed by Jolie Studio, while 20 rooms in a separate building have a soft-toned yet raw, more modern aesthetic by Manchester-based Youth Studio. Expect Naturalmat beds and linens, Grind coffee machines and a monthly book menu curated by Stow-on-the-Wold-based Borzoi Books. A restaurant will open in the autumn (until then, The Lygon Arms in nearby Broadway does great pub grub) and there are heaps of walking and cycling routes on the doorstep. In Wales the Thomas family – behind the rather lovely Y Seler boutique hotel in Aberaeron – are set to weave their hospitality magic on a new project this spring with a reimagining of Ty Glyn, a historic building in the picturesque Ciliau Aeron in west Wales. Once used as a summer retreat by TS Eliot, Ty Glyn is set to offer serene bedrooms dressed in muted cream, white and caramel shades – some with contemporary four-poster beds – a restaurant where diners can settle into smart turquoise banquettes under orb lighting for a menu featuring refined British dishes, and wedding venue. Ringed by pretty landscaped gardens, it’s also well-placed to explore Cardigan Bay’s rugged coastline. The one which spa-goers await with bated breath: the UK debut from luxe, wellness-focused Six Senses will breathe new life into Art Deco department store The Whiteley in west London. Not far from Hyde Park and Kensington Palace, it will have 109 rooms and suites and interiors by AvroKO, fusing original classical details with contemporary British art. A whopping 3,500-square-metre spa will be housed in a space inspired by a days-gone-by London Underground station, with wellness journeys mirroring the energies of city life. Facilities will include a 20-metre indoor swimming pool, sensory suite, treatment rooms and biohacking lounge. A leafy, welcoming lobby lounge and bar will have sweeping staircases and masses of plants, and there will be a brasserie restaurant with courtyard seating. Plus, in a Six Senses first, there will also be a private members’ club, Six Senses Place, with its own bar, restaurant and co-working space. Hot on the heels of Hotel Gotham’s original Manchester opening, a cool £11.5m has been invested to transform Newcastle’s Old Fire Station – an attractive, steel-framed baroque revival-style, Portland stone and brick-clad building on Pilgrim Street – into the brand’s second outpost. You’ll find 1920s opulence is the watchword, with rooms, designed by Squid Inc set to be dressed in crimson and cobalt blue with zig-zag monochrome flooring and bathrooms lined with sleek ARgENTUM toiletries. Sixty rooms will open in the spring in the fire station side of the building, with a further 30 in the police station side (part of the same building, but linked by a courtyard) in autumn. At SIREN restaurant dishes by chef David Kennedy will allow local produce – such as North Shields plaice and Durham butter – to shine, plus there will be a sultry bar. Also opening in spring is Dakota Newcastle, an 118-room waterfront property in St Ann’s Wharf on the thrumming Quayside which will have a Champagne Room, cigar terrace and grill restaurant. Another head-turning Manchester property, bringing Soho House-designed interiors and a budget-luxe ethos to the city, is the third outpost from funky motel-meets-diner brand Mollie’s. Opening inside the Old Granada TV Studios in on-the-up St John’s neighbourhood, the landmark modernist building’s granite facade will provide the backdrop for Mollie’s signature neon red lettering. Inside, 128 rooms will cater to all crowds – with doubles, twins, bunks, family rooms, and swish suites with Peloton bikes and bathtubs on offer – decked out with dark wood panelling and aged brass finishes, Dyson Airwraps and Cowshed products. As well as a gym, retro-feel Mollie’s diner – for peanut butter and jelly pie, and salt beef sandwiches – expect a living room-feel lounge-lobby, artworks by the likes of Punjabi-Liverpudlian Chila Burman and Turner Prize-winner Lubaina Himid, and a bar for cocktails and live music. Mollie’s Manchester will share the building with a Soho House, which, on the top three floors, will have a members-only club and rooftop pool. Exciting new hospitality management company Kinsfolk & Co – comprising a crack team of heavyweight hoteliers and restaurateurs including Paul Brackley (ex-Corbin and King) and Rachel Fearon (ex-Firmdale Hotels) – will make its debut with The Newman in arty Fitzrovia this summer. Set to offer a grown-up stay rooted in “thoughtful excellence”, it will have a contemporary Art Deco aesthetic, with interiors by Lind + Almond promising to be elegant, featuring boho touches nodding to great-and-good Fitzrovians – think characterful polka dots inspired by Nancy Cunard. A total of 81 rooms and suites will be decorated in deep raspberry and green hues with sweeping curves, timber and stainless steel touches, and bathrooms will reference Fitzrovia’s glazed facades and ‘bubble balconies’ in custom-made tiles and stone-carved sinks. Brasserie Adeline will offer a Northern European-influenced menu, while Gambit Bar will pair great cocktails and creative events (DJ sets, chess evenings), plus a Nordic-inspired spa will include hot and cold experience cabins, a gym and a hydrotherapy pool. Beloved for its laid-back beach chic vibe, Camber Sands hotel has a cult following and this summer a sister property, The Gallivant Littlestone Beach, twenty-five minutes’ drive from the original, will launch. Offering wild escapism, the adults-only property, which sits on the shoreline flanked by sand dunes, will have 13 bedrooms with a 1920s Hamptons-meets- vibe dreamt up by co-owner and stylist Sigrid Cragoe. Think vibrant colour schemes, art deco touches and framed retro swimming costumes. Visitors will be able to take meals in any of the welcoming communal spaces – a sitting room, orangery, breakfast room, dining room, library – and there will be a members bar, too. The Nordic spa, with sauna, plunge pool, and treatment rooms will offer R&R with stunning White Cliffs of Dover views. Gorgeous townhouse hotels in the Scottish capital just keep coming. Hot on the heels of the new Gleneagles Townhouse and 100 Princes Street, The Edinburgh 16-20 will join the townhouse jamboree this summer. Offering 28 rooms on Castle Street, the property from indie group Perle Hotels will have views of Castle Rock’s impressive fortress and bedrooms in two styles, Emerald or Ruby. Decor by Malcolm Duffin Design will feature wood panelling and lashings of marble and leather with bedroom highlights including beds with scalloped headboards, wood-effect walls and geometric circular lighting. The hotel’s initial food and drink offering will include a cooked Scottish breakfast alongside lighter options and a bar. Another townhouse hotel, The Hoxton Edinburgh, is slated to open at some point this year. While dates remain under wraps, we know its 214 rooms, creative restaurant and gallery will be spread across 11 townhouses in Haymarket. Another much-anticipated London opening will see the former US Embassy a Grade II-listed building, designed by Eero Saarinen at 30 Grosvenor Square become The Chancery Rosewood. Many mid-century details, including its diagrid ceiling, will be preserved, with architectural renovation by Sir David Chipperfield, whilst interiors will reflect Joseph Dirand’s signature art de vivre style with warm colours, walnut panelling and Art Deco-style detailing. As well as 139 rooms and suites, expect more dining options than you can shake a stick at, a spa – Asaya – designed by Yabu Pushelberg, a cluster of boutiques and a grand ballroom. Known for quirky allure, Zetter Hotels will add a third property to the stable with the Zetter Bloomsbury, offering 68 rooms spread across six red-brick Georgian townhouses. Design by James Thurstan Waterworth will combine original architectural details with antiques – African and Asian pieces nodding to the nearby British Museum – and cleverly layered textiles. Smaller rooms will have a lived-in ambience, pairing soft Georgian pastels with half-tester beds, bespoke vintage fabric lampshades and Persian rugs, while plush suites might have a four-poster bed, clawfoot bathtub and bay windows dressed in striped curtains made from Tissus D’Helene fabric. Calming bathrooms will have marble countertops, and walk-in showers stocked with toiletries from British brand VERDEN. Communal spaces, cosy bars, a drawing room and the light-filled Orangery restaurant are set to have an appealing home-away-from-home feel. Zeal Hotel, Exeter January will see Zeal Hotel Exeter, an eco-friendly bleisure property inside Exeter Science Park, open in Devon. Expect energy-saving lighting, EV chargers, co-working spaces and a mix of bedrooms and long-stay apartments. Portrush Adelphi Hotel, Portrush The Portrush Adelphi Hotel will reopen after a top-to-toe revamp by Marine & Lawn Hotels & Resorts this spring, offering seriously stylish digs that golfers visiting the nearby award-winning Royal Portrush Golf Club are sure to flock to. Ardbeg House, Scotland Remote Scottish island Islay will see the opening of Ardbeg House in springtime. The former Islay Hotel now has Ardbeg Islay single malt Scotch whisky – who’ve been distilling on the island for over 200 years – at the helm. Expect spellbinding interiors by Russell Sage, 12 luxe bedrooms and, of course, ample opportunities to sip a wee dram. citizenM Dublin & London Olympia Offering its tried-and-tested affordable luxury formula and imaginative communal spaces, design-led citizenM will open two outposts this summer, making its Irish debut in Dublin St. Patrick’s, and also arriving in west London with citizenM London Olympia, inside the redeveloped exhibition centre. Cambridge House, by Auberge Resorts Collection Towards the end of the year, Cambridge House, by Auberge Resorts Collection will transform a storied Georgian mansion frequented by royalty into a 102-room hotel at 94 Piccadilly. The Other House, Covent Garden Also primed for a winter opening, the Other House Covent Garden will bring British maximalist decor, apartment-style Club Flats, hotel services and a chichi rooftop bar with astonishing piazza views.
