Rights, Relationships and Respect module (coursework) engagement and feedback in 2025
Table 1 shows the Rights, Relationship and Respect (RRR) in Coursework and in Research
enrolments and completion numbers for 2023, 2024 and to 24 February 2025. Enrolments and
completions in 2025 for commencing coursework students are about the same as year-to-date in
previous years – this is very early reporting, the quarter one dashboard, which wil be included next
meeting, wil provide more context and nuance about the 2025 data. The University Experience
Division continues to monitor enrolments and completions throughout the year.
Year
Rights, Relationships and
Rights, Relationships and Respect
Respect (coursework)
in Research
Enrolments
Completion
Enrolments Completion
2023
7168
5820
N/A – launched in May 2024
2024
6330
5099
468
264
2025 (module was launched in
mid-January to all commencing 2348
1641
To be promoted from April 2025 to
coursework students)
align with HDR commencement
Table 1: Rights, Relationships and Respect modules - enrolments and completions. as per 24 February 2025
An early snapshot of the 2025 RRR post-module survey responses (n=190) highlights key
demographic insights, prior consent education levels, and motivations for module completion, with
notable differences between domestic and international students, as wel as undergraduate and
postgraduate cohorts. While most participants completed the module due to its importance and
provided overwhelmingly positive feedback (over 88% positive ratings on key measures), ongoing data
collection wil refine these insights to further enhance the program. Please refer to summary in
Attachment 2.6 Part B (b).
Rights, Relationships and Respect at Work – new module
The new Rights, Relationships and Respect at Work is in its final review process. The module aimed
at staff wil be provided to People and Culture to manage deployment and implementation.
N.B. A copy of the Learning Outcomes can be found in Convene under ‘Document Library / ANU
Council / 2025-2 Supplementary’
2025 training for students in on-campus accommodation
To support new and returning residential students to set a shared and respectful cultural baseline for
the 2025 ANU calendar year, the Inclusive and Respectful Communities team developed, delivered,
and presided over the educational engagement of 2700 participants across six unique programs in
four weeks.
Select Residential Staff and all Residential Mentors/Residential Advisors/Senior Residents were
educated about topics including understanding and responding to harmful behaviours, bystander
intervention, anti-racism, queer al yship, as well as how to build an inclusive and respectful community.
Additionally, all of the University’s residential hal s and colleges, including affiliates, participated in
IARC’s peer-led pilot-program addressing affirmative consent.
The pilot program was developed in response to feedback from the ANU community and advocacy
from the ANUSA women’s department. IARC co-designed the affirmative consent program (
Enlivening
Rights Relationships and Respect [RRR]) with a team of students during 2024 with the express goal to
have it delivered by student peers from each hal in their own environment and tailored to their
community.
A group of 45 Senior Residential Mentors as representatives from each residential hall volunteered to
participate in a train-the-trainer program with IARC in late 2024 and subsequently delivered the co-
designed Enlivening RRR program on February 9, 2025, to 1200 newly arrived residential students.
Student feedback from the program highlights the program as a success and makes particular note of
the effectiveness of having the sessions delivered by their peers. The success of the pilot program has
increased the community's confidence and capacity to address these issues independently. An
additional 200 participants, unable to attend the February 9 session, have since attended peer-led
training, bringing the total of new students participating to 1400.
N.B. A snapshot of the feedback received from students that participated in the Enlivening Rights,
Relationships and Respect face-to-face workshops can be located in Convene under ‘Document
Library / ANU Council / 2025-2 Supplementary’
Orientation Week Student Activation
s47F - Public Interest Conditional Exemptions - Personal Privacy
Figure 1: Orientation week Market Day activation activities
As part of its broader evaluation objectives, the team is piloting a new way to engage with students
through a series of “Student Activations” to better understand student perspectives on prevention
initiatives and to establish effective feedback mechanisms for informing IARC operations and projects.
Using a participatory design approach, IARC wil set up activation activities with engagement and
feedback prompts during key events throughout the year.
Following a successful pilot at Graduate House in late 2024, the team conducted an activation as its
primary presence at Market Day (Figure 1). The IARC stall featured five interactive prompts designed
to gather student insights on consent using a sex-positive approach. Students were invited to:
•
Indicate whether they had previously engaged in consent education through sticky dot voting
•
Share ideas for promoting open conversations about consent
•
Express what comes to mind when they hear the word “consent”
•
Vote for ways to boost engagement with consent education
• Record a voice message about what they consider a “green flag” in a relationship
There were around 200 unique engagements with the activities. Key insights include:
• Previous education: Most participants had prior experience with consent education.
• Ideas for open conversations: Students highlighted the need for safe, inclusive, and non-
judgmental spaces to discuss sensitive topics. They emphasised normalisation, peer support,
cultural relevance, and engaging formats to reduce stigma and foster a comfortable learning
environment.
• What comes to mind when hearing "consent": Responses defined consent as a respectful
process based on clear communication and mutual understanding, focusing on boundary
respect, safety, and enthusiastic participation. Consent was also associated with love, care,
and healthy relationships.
• Engagement: Out of the options provided, interactive activities (26) and incentives (20) were
most frequently selected, fol owed by flexibility in timing (16) and peer-led sessions (15).
Certificates/credentials (7) received the least votes.
• Green flags: Students identified kindness, respect for boundaries, communication, reciprocity,
and emotional awareness as key in relationships. Healthy relationships were viewed as built
on mutual respect, autonomy, and open communication.
s47F - Public Interest Conditional Exemptions - Personal Privacy
School and Col ege Targeted Training Program for Staff
IARC wil implement a targeted training program in 2025, with identified schools, colleges and
professional teams across the ANU. With both internal and central leadership endorsement and
direction, IARC proposes that local areas wil choose up to three workshops for targeted audiences
within their space. At least one of these workshops wil be delivered to staff senior leaders within the
area to ensure prevention activities are driven and supported at the strategic as well as the operational
levels. The College of Systems & Society and the Research School of Astronomy & Astrophysics have
confirmed their involvement in Semester 1 2025.
Local areas wil be asked by executive and local area leadership staff to select a series of workshops
and key audiences for delivery. Below is the list of potential workshop or topic offerings to choose from
(to be made bespoke and relevant to each local area through tailored scenario-based learning):
• Understanding Gender-based Violence
• Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Violence
• Responding to Students in Distress
• Bystander Intervention
• LGBTQIA+ Ally
• Managing Respectful Research Relationships
Advancing Restorative Practices at ANU - Scoping and Implementation Plan
In line with Stream 2, action 2.2 of the Student Safety and Wel being Plan (2024 – 2026), the IARC
team is working on scoping an implementation plan to understand the feasibility of using restorative
practices and principles as part of both the prevention of and response to harmful behaviours.
A ful paper wil be provided to the Student Safety and Wel being Committee of Council for their May
2025 meeting. Figure 2 provides the proposed two-year scoping road map.
Figure 2: Scoping plan and milestones for restorative practices at ANU
Student Equity
The ANU is committed to equity and diversity and is actively building a more inclusive culture where al
students are supported to reach their full potential in their studies and student experience.
The Student Equity stream develops, delivers and evaluates equity activities aim to address barriers
for students from the following under-represented backgrounds:
• Students from a low socio-economic background
• Students from regional or remote locations
• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students
• First-in family to attend higher education
Their programs include:
• Access to financial support through the Basic Needs Support program
• Increasing the sense of belonging through a range of programs and services including the
First Year Experience program;
• Partnerships with key community organisations such as the Smith Family
• Widening the participation of under-represented cohorts through outreach engagement with
schools and community
The team and the programs are funded through the Higher Education Participation and Partnerships
Program (HEPPP) which is annual funded provided to universities to implement strategies that
improve access to undergraduate courses for people from regional and remote Australia, low socio-
economic status (SES) backgrounds, and Indigenous persons. HEPPP also helps to improve the
retention and completion rates of those students.
In 2025, the team in liaison with the Student Life team was successful in securing further funding
through the Higher Education Continuity Guarantee (HECG) fund. These funds wil al ow further
programs to be developed and delivered to the identified cohorts above, as wel as students with a
disability. HECG funds wil need to be used by 2026.
Basic Needs Support
The Basic Needs Supports program provides a series of financial supports for students to remove
barriers to their academic engagement and connection with campus and peers.
Students can apply for more than one support; as this program is funded through HEPPP, students
must meet the criteria of being a domestic student from one of the identified HEPPP cohorts:
• From a regional, rural, or remote location of Australia
• Financial hardship/low-SES background
• Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people
By 21 February 2025, the team had received requests for support from 161 students. Of these, nine
did not meet the criteria under the program and were referred to other financial support available
through ANU or ANUSA.
Of the students that met the criteria the main supports provided to date are presented in Table 2.
Griffin Hall
Sport / gym
Textbook Grant Student
Surface
membership
membership
semester 1
Financial Grant parking
Sem 1
permit
16
102
98
100
67
Table 2: Basic needs support applications Jan-Feb 2025
The textbook grant and student financial grant are one off payments of $150 per semester to support
the costs of education. The surface parking permit program also aims to assist with the cost of living
and facilitate access to campus for students who meet the identified cohorts as per the HEPPP
program. The parking program has been run in collaboration with Campus Environment who have
facilitated a number of surface carpark spots at no cost. From 2024 we have seen a large increase in
the request for financial support to cover the cost of parking (14 for the full year of 2024 against 67+
requests in just two months of 2025). The increase in parking requests coincides with the recent,
considerable increase in parking costs and the impact this is having on students, particularly those
from low socio-economic backgrounds (a surface car park cost is $1416.20 per year GST included).
The Student Equity team is preparing a scoping paper, to be brought to the Student Safety and
Wel being Committee to explore the sustainability of the parking permit program as well as the
expansion of parking permits for part-time students from low-socio economic backgrounds.
The Griffin Hall membership and ANU Sport gym membership both aim to support students to build
connections, networks and develop their sense of belonging. Griffin Hal membership offers students
living off campus equivalent opportunity at forming community/ meaningful connection and access to
residential experience that is otherwise exclusive to on-campus students. The gym membership is run
in col aboration with ANU Sport to provide students a sustainable space to exercise and maintain a
healthy lifestyle.
Food relief support through the ANU Community Connect was accessed by 22 students in January
and February 2025. Students who meet the HEPPP categories can access the service which also
provides support and other items such as hygiene and household needs. The support aims to
complement other existing food relief provided by ANUSA (e.g. Student Bites, Breakfast at BKSS<
and Residential-ANUSA lunch program).
First Year Experience
This is a ten-month program designed as an engaging way for first year undergraduate students from
under-represented backgrounds to find community, access personal and professional development
opportunities, and connect with students, staff, supports and services at the University.
The FYE program progresses alongside key milestones of a student’s first year at the ANU, to support
students through their entry into university. As of 25 February, FYE has 96 registered students, and is
expected to reach as high as 120 for the 2025 cohort. So far FYE 2025 has included:
• 220+ student interactions during N-Week and O-Week, including a welcome picnic and
campus tour, market day stall, badge making activity station, and information sessions across
campus
• Program Launch in Week 1 with 27 attendees
• FYE students receiving welcome bags and a free ANU Sport membership, to provide access
to an otherwise expensive element of wellbeing and selfcare on campus. Non-residential
students also receive access to Griffin Hal
• Upcoming events for 2025 include a tie dye activity, academic skil s workshop, drop-in
referencing support, excursion to the movies, and a volunteering workshop, among other
plans
Feedback on the 2024 First Year Experience Program participants is presented as a word cloud in
Figure 3 showing that students felt included and happy as a result of the program.
Figure 1: Word cloud from feedback from 2024 First Year participants
Widening Participation Programs – ANU Wonder and ANU Explorer
A program designed to meet students where they are, and to provide opportunities and resources for
getting them where they aspire to get to. We work closely with schools and community partners, to
design and develop the various aspects of the program collaboratively. At present we are working with
five Regional University Study Hub Partners (RUSHs) under the Eastern Australian Regional
University Centre Partnership (EARUCP) and other local partners including the Smith Family and local
schools. Students are welcomed on the ANU campus for campus experiences, and the team travels to
schools and regional communities for outreach activities.
ANU Explorer similarly focuses on widening participation; however, it is targeted towards individuals
with refugee or vulnerable migrant experiences. Early 2025 activities have primarily included planning
and design for upcoming trips and interventions:
• Collaborative activity and program design with student leaders and partners for delivery in
schools and on campus throughout 2025.
• Presentation and question time with the Canberra Institute of Technology Certificate IV in
English (Tertiary Prep) classes focusing on alternative pathway access.
STUDENT LIFE UPDATE
Orientation and transition
Research has demonstrated that transition into higher education impacts on an individual's wellbeing,
making it a vital period of time for institutions to provide engagement and support. It is sometimes
assumed that the transition period starts when a student physical y arrives on campus. However,
some students accept their offer several months before they physically arrive, and therefore it is
crucial to count this period as part of transition. The Student Life Team central y coordinates this
period, as well as Orientation Week. The team works closely with the Future Students Team to
purposely create a ‘one ANU’ experience that is as seamless as possible, from when they are a
potential ANU student (before accepting their offer) to transitioning to being an actual ANU student
(after accepting their offer).
Some of the activities run during the time before they physically arrive are multiple online information
sessions on moving to the University as an international student, enrolment, accommodation,
timetabling and fees. During the most recent series of seven online information sessions from mid-
December 2024 to end of January 2025, there were close to 3000 separate registrations.
Another program that starts in ‘N Week’ (the week before Orientation Week) is the Set4ANU program.
The Set4ANU Program is an eight-week mentoring program that focuses on helping new students
adjust to the University and the community. It is open to students of all study levels and backgrounds,
the program attracts both domestic, international, postgraduate, and undergraduate students. Mentors
are later year students who are trained to take up to five mentees. For Semester 1 2025, there were
147 mentors and 493 mentees.
There is whole of University data col ected per semester as part of the ANU Welcome Survey, which
provides in depth data for transition. Further analysis on this semesters transition period can be
provided in the next Student Safety and Wellbeing Committee University Experience portfolio update.
HEALTH, SAFETY and WELLBEING UPDATE
ANU Counselling – Brief intervention model
ANU Counsel ing is committed to providing safe and transparent counselling to ANU students within
the limitations of staffing capacity and expertise. This requires a delicate balance between the needs
of individual students and the expectations of the University to provide a service to all students. It is
essential that the service has systems and processes in place to identify, monitor and manage high
prevalence clinical risks to ensure safe, quality care and reduce harm to students and others.
In the previous ANU Counselling model, students coming into the service through Intake were triaged
into an appointment (priority, urgent or non-urgent). Students were “entitled” to receive six sessions
per semester and could access the service throughout their university degree. However, as demand
for the service has outstripped capacity, the reality is that students are not able to be seen six times in
a semester as the wait time between appointments has blown out to 8 weeks and up to 12 weeks in
the lead-up to exams. This is because new students are being booked into available appointments
faster than existing students can be booked into on-going appointments. The result is that any
therapeutic benefit of the first session is lost in the time delay and students are not realising the
intended results by the sixth session. This has resulted in many students being rolled over for
extended periods, exacerbating the wait times.
Counsel ors have expressed their concerns that the current situation is not clinical y safe. Students
and their representatives (for example, ANUSA) have all raised concerns regarding wait times. In any
other community or government service, the service would be closed to new clients to manage the
waitlist. This is not a decision that the ANU Counsel ing service wanted to take. In line with current
evidence-based literature, ANU Counsel ing has developed a new service model to better meet
student needs.
The new model features:
• Brief Intervention Appointments: students wil be provided the option of fortnightly
appointments for up to six sessions. Clinicians wil be able request an extension of
appointments under certain circumstances, and there wil be a planned exit from the service.
Students can re-access the service if needed later in their degree. Clinicians are being asked
to make early decisions on referral options should it become apparent that the student wil
require intensive and ongoing intervention.
• Single Sessions: are provided to students who would like to see a counsellor for a single
session where they wil discuss their most important concern and develop a plan that they can
implement, with any resources needed.
The new model wil :
• Improve treatment outcomes through the provision of more frequent therapy
• Align with evidence-informed practice.
• Increase the breadth of students accessing the service.
• Provide increased coordination with services in the Canberra region, ensuring ‘right care, right
time’.
• Provide more timely access for students.
A pilot of the program was commenced in July 2024 involving two ANU Counsellors. Early indications
are that the students are benefitting from structured two-weekly appointments. Al six appointments
are booked in advance, so the student has no difficulty accessing their next appointment. The
structure also facilitates better recollection of appointment times. There is a clear therapeutic plan, and
collaborative decision making as to when to cease service, what service to provide, and what referrals
may be required. A waitlist is managed by the Health and Wellbeing Officers in accordance with the
triage rating provided by Intake. When one student completes their allocated sessions, another
student is booked for service. For the clinician, the work is clinically safe, and the staff involved have
reported improved job satisfaction. The new model has rolled out this year.
Student Safety and Wel being Dashboard
This iteration of the Student Safety and Wellbeing dashboard (
Attachment 2.6 Part B (e)) presents
the data col ected for January to December 2024. This dashboard presents data from various sources
currently being collected by different services and areas of the University.
Points to note:
• 97 disclosures were made by students through the online harmful behaviours disclosure tool.
The top three harmful behaviours disclosed were sexual harassment, sexual assault, and
racism.
• 4094 commencing coursework students (68%) participated in the RRR online module.
• 1851 incidents were reported in the residential halls. The top three categories reported were
noise (n=355), minor injuries (n=288), and mental health related (n=182).
• 620 student-related incidents were reported through ANU Unisafe including 202 fire brigade
responses and 80 intruder alarms.
• From January to December 2024, there were 6 student critical incidents, including two off-
campus student deaths, and two on-campus student deaths. There were two potential missing
students, both were escalated to police and resolved.
• 92 work, health and safety incidents were reported including falls, cuts and body stressing.
• ANU Services provided 4600 counselling appointments, 1200 case management
appointments, 1400 accessibility appointments, 10200 clinical appointments with a GP and
2100 nurse practitioner appointments. Appointment numbers were lowest in December 2024
due to the end-of-year break and staff on leave.
Student Critical Incidents
Since the last meeting of the Committee in November 2024 there have been no student critical
incidents under the Student Critical Incident Policy.
ATTACHMENTS
i - Student Safety and Wellbeing Dashboard – January to December 2024
COMMUNICATION
For public release ☐
For internal release ☐
Not for release ☒
