The Action Plan Addressing Gender-based Violence in Higher Education has been released.
On 23 February 2024, Education Ministers agreed to the Action Plan Addressing Gender-based Violence in Higher Education. The Action Plan recognises urgent action needs to be taken to ensure the safety of higher education students and staff.
Federal Minister for Education, the Hon Jason Clare MP says:
“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.
“Not enough has been done to tackle sexual violence in our universities and for too long students haven’t been heard. That now changes.”
One immediate action is the establishment of an independent National Student Ombudsman within the Commonwealth Ombudsman.
The Ombudsman will provide a mechanism for all higher education students to escalate complaints about the administrative actions of their higher education provider, including in relation to complaints about gender-based violence.
“The Ombudsman will be completely independent and impartial and easily accessible to all higher education students,” said Minister Clare.
A National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence will also be developed. The National Code will set best practice standards that all higher education providers must meet.
To read the full list of actions, visit Action Plan Addressing Gender-Based Violence in Higher Education.