New Code Shields Campus From Sexual Violence
The Albanese Government has today passed legislation to establish a mandatory National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence.
Not enough has been done in our universities to address sexual assault and sexual harassment and for too long, students haven’t been heard.
The National Code will help to change that and will strengthen the work of the National Student Ombudsman.
For the first time, the National Code will set standards and requirements that all higher education providers must meet to make students and staff safer, including in student accommodation.
Under the National Code, universities will be required to take evidence-based steps to prevent gender-based violence, including providing education and training to students and staff.
It will introduce accountability at the highest level, help drive cultural change, and make sure staff are qualified to support victim-survivors.
It means universities must comply with the recommendations of the Student Ombudsman in relation to gender-based violence.
Universities’ compliance with the obligations in the Code will be monitored and enforced through a range of compliance powers, with serious penalties for non-compliance.
The National Code has been developed in consultation with victim-survivor advocates, students, the higher education sector, gender-based violence experts, states and territories and relevant Australian Government agencies.
Addressing sexual assault and sexual harassment in universities was one of five priority actions from the Australian Universities Accord Interim Report.
The National Code and Student Ombudsman are key measures of the Action Plan Addressing Gender-based Violence in Higher Education, agreed by Education Ministers in February 2024.
They contribute to the work to end gender-based violence in one generation as outlined in the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022-2032.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Education Jason Clare:
“Every student deserves to feel safe from sexual violence on campus. This new National Code makes that non-negotiable.
“We’ve listened to students and survivors on what needs to be done to drive long overdue cultural change on our campuses.
“Universities aren’t just places where people work and study, they are also places where people live, and we need to ensure they are safe.
“This Code will make sure universities are taking action to prevent sexual violence from happening in the first place.
“And when the worst does happen, the Code mandates staff and students get the response and support they deserve, every time.
“If universities fail to act on sexual violence, this Code will give the Student Ombudsman real teeth to hold them to account.”
Quotes attributable to Minister for Social Services Tanya Plibersek:
“University should be a time of excitement, learning and discovery. A time for making new and lifelong friends. But for too many students, it becomes a nightmare.
“One in six students have reported sexual harassment and one in 20 have reported being sexually assaulted on campus. One in two felt they weren’t being heard when they made a complaint.
“How a survivor of violence is supported by their university has lifelong consequences. Victim-survivors must be heard and supported and universities must make every effort to stop violence in the first place.
“The National Code will make this a reality. It will hold all higher education providers to consistently high standards to proactively prevent and respond to gender-based violence.
“Students on campus deserve to feel safe and I’m so proud our Government has taken action.”
https://ministers.education.gov.au/clare/national-code-protect-staff-and-students-sexual-violence-higher-education