Action Plan Addressing Gender-based Violence in Higher Education
On 23 February 2024, Education and Higher Education Ministers released the Action Plan Addressing Gender-based Violence in Higher Education. This Action Plan builds on the National Plan and aims to create higher education communities free from gender-based violence.
A new National Code has set clear requirements for higher education providers and student accommodation providers to address gender-based violence. It strengthens providers’ performance beyond the minimum requirements of the Threshold Standards and operationalise compliance with other legal and regulatory frameworks such as the positive duty.
WHISE Submission
Women’s Health in the South East (WHISE) has submitted recommendations for implementing a National Higher Education Code. Our submission draws from our experience with the “Training for Respect” project. Training for Respect focuses on preventing workplace gender violence in Victoria’s Registered Training Organisations.
The submission emphasises the importance of:
- using local data;
- leveraging existing practices;
- ensuring adequate resources;
- engaging change champions;
- and investing in evidence-based practices to successfully implement the code across tertiary education institutions.
WHISE recommends using comprehensive frameworks like EPIS (Exploration, Preparation, Implementation, Sustainment) and stresses the need for promoting cultures of respect, establishing accessible reporting mechanisms, providing timely responses to incidents, and continuous monitoring and evaluation.
The submission advocates for aligning the code with regulatory standards set by ASQA and TEQSA, and recognizing the intersectional nature of gender-based violence in implementation strategies.
WHISE emphasizes that the success of the code will depend on effective implementation mechanisms, resources, and plans, and offers to share further details and outcomes of their work to assist in policy design.