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AAP
AAP
National
Fraser Barton

Qld seeks national policy as it weighs school phone ban

The newly-elected NSW Labor government made a pre-election pitch to ban phones in state schools. (Steven Saphore/AAP PHOTOS) (AAP)

Queensland has signalled it's open to banning public school students from using their mobile phones in the classroom and on school grounds, in line with most other states.

Education Minister Grace Grace will meet with her federal counterpart Jason Clare on Thursday and plans to call for a unified national approach to phone-use bans.

"She very much wants to see some national consistency here, so if we can have a national policy on this, of course, Queensland will step up to the plate," Premier Annastasia Palaszczuk told reporters.

The newly-elected NSW Labor government made a pre-election commitment to ban phones in state schools in October after Victoria banned their use in primary and secondary schools in 2020.

Similar rules were adopted in WA and Tasmania in 2020.

From term three this year, all South Australian public high schools will also have mobile phone bans in place except where exemptions have been allowed.

Similar rules came into effect in Northern Territory at the start of the year for primary and high school students.

Ms Palaszczuk pointed to an anti-cyberbullying taskforce set up by her government five years ago as having informed its response on the issue so far, but she said it was time for an updated approach.

"I do think we need fresh eyes and a fresh look," she said.

Opposition education spokesman Christian Rowan said the LNP was monitoring responses to the issue, including in NSW.

"The opposition has a long-standing position of empowering individuals, school communities, those principals to make those decisions," he said on Thursday.

"We're going to be carefully evaluating what's happening in New South Wales and keep an open mind."

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