Resources and Governance
If you or someone else is in immediate danger, or in an emergency situation, call the Police on 000 (triple zero).
If there is no immediate danger but you or someone else needs the police, call the 24/7 Police assistance line on 131 444.
The University's overarching principles and commitment to preventing, intervening, and responding to incidents of sexual harm and gender-based violence aligns with and draws from state and commonwealth legislative and regulatory frameworks.
Response to sexual harm and gender-based violence is informally provided within the community and formally through justice systems, treatment and support services. The higher education sector is extremely fortunate to be able to work with a number of regulatory agencies and leading expert organisations to guide and support universities to vigorously combat sexual harm and gender-based violence within the unique university context and to influence change in the wider community.
The information below is not exhaustive. There are links to the official web sites of the governing agency, organisation or legislation to ensure all information is correct and up to date.
It is every UNE community member’s responsibility to ensure that their actions or lack of action, does not harm them or anyone else.
Legislative framework
The National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032 was released in October 2022. The National Plan is the overarching national policy framework that will guide actions towards ending violence against women and children in one generation. It highlights how all parts of society need to work together to end gender-based violence in one generation. The National Plan outlines this vision across 4 domains: The Action Plan Addressing Gender-based Violence in Higher Education is a multi-pronged approach to create higher education communities free from gender-based violence through 7 actions: The National Student Ombudsman is a complaints service you can access regarding complaints you haven’t been able to resolve or don’t feel safe talking to the People with disability are more likely to be victim-survivors of family, domestic and sexual violence (FDSV) than people without disability. People with disabilities can also be affected by different forms of FDSV and experience additional barriers to getting help. Understanding the experiences of people with disabilities, as a group, can provide helpful information for organisations providing services to people with disabilities. The National Plan to End Violence against Women and their Children 2022–2032 (The National Plan) has recognised First Nations people as a priority group in their efforts to address, prevent and respond to gender-based violence in Australia. The National Plan supports measures designed to achieve Target 13 in the National Agreement on Closing the Gap, which is to reduce the rate of all forms of family violence against First Nations women and children by at least 50% by 2031, as progress towards zero. We are committed to the safety and wellbeing of children, teens and adults and protecting them from the risk of harm, abuse and neglect. Find information on how to get help and support for domestic, family and sexual violence, understand your rights and responsibilities as a parent or guardian, information on the adoption and fostering process, get advice on caring for and protecting children and find contacts for support services and funded programs. One Mob One job is making change within the Department of Communities and Justice. Creating services with family and for families that use multiple services over a long period of time. Community is an essential part of this change as we work together to focus on the strengths of families while respecting cultural needs. Building services together will support families to be stronger and safer, breaking their cycle of contact with these services. Lived experience is at the heart of this transformation. By centering community voices, we are creating services that reflect the realities, culture, and strengths of families, building a system that truly works for them. In Australia, many students experience sexual harm and gender-based violence on university campuses, and in the community more broadly. With one in six experiencing sexual harassment and one in 20 experiencing sexual assault at university, tertiary education providers must continue to build on and improve their efforts to prevent sexual harm. While there are many frameworks guiding primary prevention in Australia, gaps remain. The Primary Prevention of Sexual Harm in the University Sector – Good Practice Guide seeks to fill these gaps by providing primary prevention practitioners with evidence-based approaches in a diverse range of university contexts together with insights into consultation approaches to inform successful interventions. This guide aims to drive collaboration between primary prevention practitioners and foster a culture of working to dismantle the values, norms, practices, and structures that enable gender-based violence and sexual harm in our university communities. Under the Sex Discrimination Act, the University has a positive duty to eliminate, as far as possible, the following ‘relevant unlawful conduct’ from occurring: The new positive duty imposes a legal obligation on the University to take proactive and meaningful action to prevent relevant unlawful conduct from occurring in the workplace or in connection to work. The University must actively prevent workplace sexual harassment, sex discrimination and other relevant unlawful conduct. Choosing robust preventative actions will help UNE to strengthen safety, respect and inclusion while we work, live, study and socialise, at UNE. On 12 December 2023, the Commission acquired new powers to investigate and enforce compliance with the positive duty. To assist places of work to comply with the positive duty, the Commission developed practical guidance materials to help organisations such as the University, to understand the responsibilities and possible changes that may need to be made to meet these new legal obligations. The purpose of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is to promote, protect and ensure the full and equal enjoyment of all human rights and fundamental freedoms by all persons with disabilities, and to promote respect for their inherent dignity. It is made up of two documents, the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which contains the main human rights provisions expressed as a series of Articles and the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. A global champion for women and girls, UN Women is the United Nations entity responsible for promoting gender equality and women’s empowerment. UN Women was established in 2010 to accelerate progress to meet the needs of women and girls worldwide. Violence against women and girls is one of the world’s most prevalent human rights violations, taking place every day, many times over, in every corner of the globe. It has serious short- and long-term physical, economic and psychological consequences on women and girls, preventing their full and equal participation in society. The Gender Matters website is based on Gender Matters, the manual on addressing gender-based violence affecting young people. Gender Matters contains accessible non-formal education methods for preventing and addressing gender-based violence with young people. It also provides reflections on gender and gender-based violence and information of the main Council of Europe human rights standards relevant for gender equality and dignity for all. Gender Matters is useful to youth workers, teachers and other educators active in human rights and combating gender inequality. Full Stop Australia is one of the country’s leading sexual, domestic and family violence response and recovery services. Established in the early 1970s by a group of feminists in Redfern, Sydney, the organisation now reaches communities in every state and territory, with the following key focus areas: Support, Advocacy & Education. 13YARN [Thirteen YARN] is the first national crisis support line for mob who are feeling overwhelmed or having difficulty coping. We offer a confidential one-on-one yarning opportunity with a Lifeline-trained Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Crisis Supporter who can provide crisis support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. 13YARN empowers our community with the opportunity to yarn without judgement and provide a culturally safe space to speak about their needs, worries or concerns. Our Watch is Australia’s leader in the primary prevention of violence against women. The organisation works to embed gender equality and prevent violence where Australians live, learn, work and socialise. It is an independent not-for-profit organisation established in 2013 by the Victorian and Commonwealth Governments. Since that time, all State and Territories Governments have joined as members. Our Watch was established under the National Plan to Reduce Violence against Women and their Children 2010-2022 and continues under the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032.Governing agencies, organisations and legislation
impactful primary prevention initiatives at a local level. This section showcases one method of effective student
consultation, including key learnings about conducting student consultation and co-design, together with insights
gained from students.
