The Respect at Work Amendment Act has defined sexual harassment under 

the Fair Work Act as “ an unwelcome sexual advance, an unwelcome request for sexual favours, other unwelcome conduct of a sexual nature in relation to another person”.  To be considered sexual harassment, it must be reasonable to expect that the person being harassed would be offended, humiliated, or intimidated by the behaviour. 

See Respect at Work - Fair Work Ombudsman for more information.

Sexual harassment can take various forms. It can involve:

• unwelcome touching, hugging or kissing;
• staring or leering;
• suggestive comments or jokes;
• sexually explicit pictures, screen savers or posters;
• unwanted invitations to go out on dates or requests for sex;
• intrusive questions about an employee's private life or body;
• unnecessary familiarity; 
• insults or taunts based on your sex;
• sexually explicit emails or SMS messages;
• accessing sexually explicit internet sites;
• behaviour which would also be an offence under the criminal law, such as physical assault, indecent exposure, sexual assault, stalking or obscene communications. (AHRC Sexual Harassment (A Code in Practice) - What is sexual harassment? | Australian Human Rights Commission)

Sexual harassment can take place in a workplace, in a university setting or anywhere else.

The National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032,  defines sexual violence as sexual activity that happens where consent is not freely given or obtained, is withdrawn or the person is unable to consent due to their age or other factors. Sexual violence occurs any time a person is forced, coerced or manipulated into any sexual activity. 

Such activity can be sexualised touching, sexual abuse, sexual assault, rape, sexual harassment and intimidation, and forced or coerced watching or engaging in pornography. Sexual violence can be non-physical and include unwanted sexualised comments, intrusive sexualised questions or harassment of a sexual nature. Forms of modern slavery, such as forced marriage, servitude or human trafficking (DSS 2022).

Coercive control is a persistent pattern of behaviours used to dominate, control, and isolate a person.

It is a core dynamic of domestic, family, and sexual violence.

It is just as harmful as physical violence, even though it often leaves no visible physical injuries (Coercive Control | 1800RESPECT)

Learn about coercive control.

In Australia, we use  a “Primary Prevention” approach to preventing Gender-based Violence. A primary prevention approach works to change the underlying social conditions that produce and drive violence against women, and that excuse, justify or even promote it. It works across the whole population to address the attitudes, norms, practices, structures and power imbalances that drive violence against women. (Change the Story, Our Watch, 2021)  

At UC, our prevention strategy includes promoting respect, equality, consent, and healthy relationships. Challenging harmful stereotypes, supporting others and empowering bystanders, educating ourselves and peers to build a safe, inclusive community that values fairness, communication, and nonviolence. To learn more about what you can do, visit our Get Involved section and explore the Gender-based Violence Resources page. 

If you or someone you know have been affected by gender-based violence, your safety and wellbeing come first.

Take time to care for yourself and seek support. You can reach out to University Services such as Student Wellbeing Team, for confidential help and guidance.

So that the University knows how it can work towards preventing similar incidents from happening in the future,   we do ask that you make a report about the incident  
(though you can choose to do this anonymously if you don’t require or want support from the University). 

You can access support without making a formal report. If you do choose to report, the Wellbeing Team can walk alongside you throughout the process.

What happens if you make a report depends on what options you choose while making a report. Thethree main options are:

1. Report using your name and request support. You can make a decision about formalising the report at a later time.
2. Report anonymously- you choose if you want to be contacted. We may reach out via a secure anonymous chat to offer you support.
3. Report with the intention of making a Formal Report- in which case the University will investigate your case which may lead to a non-academic inquiry. You can choose to do this with or without support.

If you request support, a  trained staff member from the University will contact you as soon as possible. 

They can provide confidential support, and connect you with additional support if you choose, including medical help, specialist counselling and police if you want to report to police.

Students may also be eligible to access equity adjustments, so that your studies are not disadvantaged by what has been experienced. More information can be found here:  Equity Adjustment Plan Guidelines.

Making a Formal Report means the University may conduct an investigation.

If the respondent (the person who caused harm) is a student, the evidence gathered will be submitted to a Student Conduct Committee. 

If the respondent (person who caused harm) is a staff member, an independent panel will consider  the evidence and decide what actions will result. 

Making a formal report will not affect your academic standing or your visa status. 

A University support team can offer guidance and assistance throughout this process if you would like this.