*8.1
STUDENT SAFETY AND WELLBEING REPORT TO COUNCIL:
ACADEMIC PORTFOLIO UPDATE
PURPOSE
To present Council with an update on activities within the Academic Portfolio
relating to Student Safety and Wellbeing.
PREPARED BY
Interim Director, University Experience
SPONSOR
Provost
RECOMMENDATION That Council
note the updates from the Academic Portfolio.
ACTION REQUIRED
For discussion
For decision
For information
SPEAKER
Ms Catherine Fitzpatrick, Chair, Student Safety and Wellbeing Committee
Professor Joan Leach, Deputy Vice-Chancel or (Academic)
CONFIDENTIALITY
Confidential
Not Confidential
COUNCIL COMMITTEE / ACADEMIC BOARD CONSIDERATION
Finance
Audit & Risk
Campus Planning
Student Safety & Wellbeing
Honorary Degrees
Academic Board
GOVERNANCE / MATERIALITY
The Academic Portfolio is responsible for overseeing student safety and wel being at the ANU
. This
paper has been prepared by the University Experience Division to provide an update to the Student
Safety and Wellbeing Committee (SSWC) and Council on relevant work being undertaken by the
University, especial y in implementing and managing the Student Safety and Wellbeing Plan and the
ANU Sexual Violence Prevention Strategy 2019-2026.
RISK
Consideration of risks to student safety and wellbeing are a responsibility of the SSWC and
considered as a standing item at each meeting.
BACKGROUND This paper provides an update for the SSWC on actions taken to support the delivery of the Student
Safety and Wel being Plan 2024 – 2026, Sexual Violence Prevention Strategy and other Academic
Portfolio matters that impact on student safety and wellbeing.
SUMMARY OF ISSUES
Student Disciplinary Framework Review Project
In December 2024 the Vice-Chancel or called for a review of the ANU Student Disciplinary Framework.
The Project is led by the Pro-Vice Chancellor International and Future Students and wil focus on
reviewing the Student Disciplinary Framework
to ensure compliance with legal requirements, integration
with best practices, and alignment with institutional values.
The review will incorporate institutional learnings since the last review conducted in 2020/21 and ensure
that the university's practices not only adhere to evolving regulatory and legislative requirements and
community expectations but also embody the institutional ethos of fairness, justice, and inclusivity.
A Project Board was stood up in early 2025. A Final Report of review findings, including
recommendations and high-level implementation plan is expected to be delivered in six months.
Student Safety and Wel being Plan
The Student Safety and Wellbeing Steering Committee has met twice in 2025. Items on the SSW Plan
(f
ound here) are progressing with no significant issues to raise. To note:
• Item 1.1 – ‘Build on the clinical intake procedures to encompass questions around financial and
housing security’ has been completed on target.
• Item 3.1 – ‘Develop a communications plan for the promotion of belonging and engagement’
which was due for completion in 2024 was delayed due to Renew ANU work but is now
progressing.
• Item 4.1 – ‘Develop and implement a Rights, Relationships and Respect module for staff’ is on
track – the module is complete and has been submitted to University Leadership for launch.
• Item 5.1 – ‘Pilot a mental health and wel being drop-in service for Senior Residents to increase
leadership skil s and wellbeing literacy’ which was due for completion in 2024 was not
completed due to limited staff capacity.
Food relief
Student Life is collaborating with ANUSA and Commercial Services to implement an end-of-day
donation program with vendors on campus. The program wil see vendors boxing up leftover hot food
to be redistributed through BKSS. To date, three vendors have agreed to participate, and logistical
details are currently being worked out.
Governance and strategic work
•
Mental Health and Wel being Strategy - on 15 April 2025, the Mental Health and Wel being
Strategy Overview was published in On Campus and shared with the ANU community for
feedback. The overview outlines the key points of the strategy, and the immediate actions
planned. To increase engagement and raise awareness among students, an Instagram reel
has been created for the @ouranu social media platform. Although participation has been
limited so far, we are continuing to receive feedback, and the submission deadline was
extended to 26 May 2025. This feedback wil help us refine the strategy and ensure it is better
aligned with the needs of our university environment.
•
Accessibility Education Access Plans (EAP) Review - as part of University Experience actions
under the Disability Action Plan, a review of the Accessibility Education Access Plans is
underway to evaluate the current EAP process, student experience, staff implementation
barriers and enablers and process alignment with the obligations under the Disability
Discrimination Act (1992) and Disability Standards for Education (2005). The Inclusive and
Respectful Communities team has consulted with col ege representatives, ANUSA Disability
Officers, Accessibility services team and has also drawn on information gathered during the
Mental Health and Wellbeing strategy consultation. A report with recommendations wil be
provided to the Director University Experience and Senior Manager Student Safety and
Wel being in late May 2025.
Building student trust and col aboration
•
Student Engagement Hub forum - to support the efforts to build student trust and collaboration,
the University Experience portfolio is re-establishing a student consultation forum. The forum,
renamed the Student Engagement Hub, has revised terms of reference to facilitate high level
discussions between the University and student leaders. The forum wil focus on promoting
cross-institutional communication, sharing information, and developing a common
understanding of issues affecting students at the University. Additional y, the Group wil serve
as a platform for consultation and fostering a culture of effective student engagement as wel
as the co-creation of solutions and development of new and innovative ideas and practices. The
meetings wil be co-chaired by the Director University Experience and the ANUSA President.
The first meeting wil be held on 12 May 2025.
•
Sexual misconduct disclosures and reports - 2024 report - as part of our commitment to our
community to transparency under the Sexual Violence Prevention Strategy 2019-2026 (SVPS)
and the Student Safety and Wel being Plan 2024-2026, the University has completed the 2024
Sexual Misconduct Reports and Disclosures report. This is the third report and outlines the
actions taken since the last report, prevention and response activities, data on the number of
disclosures and reports received by the ANU during 2024 and key 2025 priorities. The 2024
report (
Attachment 8.1A) is due to be released through On Campus in early May2025 with a
copy to be available at
Respect@ANU | Australian National University.
•
Participation in the 2024 Australian Human Rights Commission Racism@Uni Study – the ANU
has confirmed participation in the Racism@Uni survey which aims to provide national data on
the prevalence and impact of racism experienced by students and staff at Australian
Universities. The survey wil be available to university staff between 30 June and 28 July 2025.
The release date for students is stil to be confirmed (potential y mid-July to mid-August) as
students are subjected to many surveys throughout the year, and it’s important to get the timing
right.
National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence
The Work Health and Safety (Sexual and Gender-based Harassment) Code of Practice 2025 was
released in March 2025. The WHS Code has been reviewed in line with the National Higher Education
Code Gap Analysis and no further gaps have been identified.
• The WHS Code definition aligns with the Higher Education Code in that it covers different forms
of gendered violence, and the scope aligns in that it applies to diverse places where work can
take place as well as different modes for the harmful behaviour
• Both Codes focus on the impact of intersectionality and wil require organisations to address
this
• Both Codes require organisations to have a risk management process in place to minimise the
risk of gender-based violence incidents.
• The requirement for having reporting and disclosure mechanisms, a trauma-informed approach
to managing disclosures and reports and the need for education and training also align under
the two Codes.
Key staff from University Experience, Residential Experience, People and Culture and the Office of the
Registrar are meeting with Serina McDuff, Assistant Secretary, Gender-based Violence Reform and
other members of the Department of Education in late May 2025 to further discuss the University’s
efforts in the prevention and response of gender-based violence as well as to further conversations
around the proposed Higher Education Code.
Gender-based violence and other harmful behaviours prevention
•
Rights, Relationships and Respect at Work - the Rights, Relationships and Respect at Work
module is the third offering of the University’s Rights, Relationships and Respect bespoke
consent and healthy relationships education suite. This module targets staff at all levels at ANU,
professional and academic alike, to build knowledge and understanding of gender-based
violence in the workplace. It seeks to build a collective understanding of ANU values and
behaviours, staff rights to a safe workplace, and their obligations to keep other staff and
students safe at ANU. The module was handed over to the Vice Chancel or, Provost, Chief
Operating Officer, and Deputy Vice Chancellor (Academic) on 23 April 2025 and wil be
implemented by People and Culture.
• Rights, Relationships and Respect modules – enrolments and completions to date
Year
Rights, Relationships and Rights, Relationships and
Respect (coursework)
Respect in Research
Enrolments
Completion
Enrolments
Completion
2023
7168
5820
N/A – launched in May 2024
2024
6330
5099
468
264
2025
3155*
2544
201**
113
Data current as per: 30 April 2025.
* Launched in mid-January to al commencing course work students
** Promoted from April 2025 to align with HDR commencement schedule.
•
Gender-based Violence Risk Assessment Tool - the Inclusive and Respectful Communities
team are currently drafting a Gender-based Violence Risk Assessment tool to be embedded in
the ANU psychosocial hazard risk assessment processes and made available to all staff as a
standalone assessment. This tool wil seek to increase oversight of attitudes, behaviours, and
pro social practices in teams, divisions and schools across ANU, al owing for targeted
assessment of risk levels and the implementation of relevant, tailored prevention interventions
and programming based on the assessment. This tool wil meet the requirements of the risk-
based approach to prevention which is soon to be legislated through the National Higher
Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence, along with contributing to
building community literacy about the drivers of gender-based violence.
•
Neuroaffirming Practices: Understanding and Supporting Neurodivergent Communities – is a
pilot offering by the Inclusive and Respectful Communities team. The two-hour workshop is a
conversational introduction to neuroaffirming practices and approaches that celebrate
neurodiversity moving away from a deficit-based thinking that often dominates clinical and
educational approaches. The conversation wil explore an understanding of neurodivergence,
insights from lived experience, and discussions for practical ways to create more inclusive and
respectful spaces at the University.
•
Restorative Justice scoping project - the Expression of Interest period for external expert
members to join the Restorative Practices Expert Group has now closed. We are pleased to
have attracted strong interest from leading practitioners and internationally recognised
academic experts in the field. This group wil oversee a two-year program aimed at exploring
and embedding restorative practices across ANU. The finalised membership and more details
about the work program wil be shared with the Committee at the next meeting.
Student Equity
•
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 the Commonwealth’s Higher Education Participation and Partnerships Program
(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 or Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander people)
.
By 29 April 2025 the team had received requests for support from 211 students. This is double
the support requested in 2024 highlighting increased support and financial needs of many of
the University students, particularly those from under-represented backgrounds. The table
below outlines the support provided through this program from January to April 2025.
Griffin Hal
Sport / gym Textbook Grant Student Financial Surface parking
membership
membership
semester 1($150) Grant Sem
1($150)
permit
17
136
133
137
62*
* 62 spaces is the current cap provided by Campus Environment for equity parking permits. The Student Equity team has seen a
considerable request for financial support for carparking costs from 14 requests in 2024 to almost 70 requests to date in 2025. The
program has paused the provision of parking permits for this academic year as this is now subject to further discussion between
University Experience and Campus Environment on how we can sustainably and ethically support low SES students with carpark
costs.
Counselling service improvement
As reported last meeting, ANU Counselling has modified its service delivery to improve access and
quality of service. Results are demonstrating improvement:
As of April 2025, waitlists for non-priority appointments are at 5 weeks, with 25 priority appointments
available to students in the next two weeks. This is a significant reduction in wait times. On-going
evaluations wil help identify trends, capacity issues, or gaps in service delivery, informing continuous
improvement and alignment with institutional goals. Outcome measures, such as changes in
psychological distress or goal attainment, help track the impact of the service.
Student critical incidents
Since the start of 2025 there have been two student critical incidents under the Student Critical Incident
Policy. Both were deaths off campus where their parents had called the University to inform of their
passing. Administrative actions were taken to close the students’ files.
Student Safety and Wel being Dashboard
Data wil be reported on a 6 monthly basis – January to June 2025 data wil be provided in Meeting
4/2025. Access to last year’s data remains availabl
e here (also provided as
Attachment 8.1B)
COMMUNICATION
For public release
For internal release
Not for release
ATTACHMENTS
8.1A 2024 Sexual Misconduct Annual Report – student reports and disclosures
8.1B 2024 Student Safety and Wellbeing Dashboard
