Along with all 38 other Australian universities, Charles Darwin University took part in the Australian Human Rights Commission's ‘Change the Course ’ report into sexual harassment and sexual assault.
View our Charles Darwin University's specific report.
CDU, together with all other Australian universities, is part of the Respect. Now. Always. initiative, driven by Universities Australia. The initiative aims to raise awareness among university students and staff that sexual assault and harassment are unacceptable and to ensure that avenues of support are available, appropriate and easily accessible.
Based on the survey results for all Australian Universities, the Australian Human Rights Commission and Universities Australia have both made recommendations aimed at helping universities to reduce and prevent sexual assault and sexual harassment. The recommendations are set out in the Change the Course report and in Universities Australia’s 10-Point Action Plan.
CDU introduced three measures following the report:
- Consent Matters: the course
- Establishment of Contact Officers on all campuses and online. Contact Officers are CDU staff that can be contacted by students or staff to assist them in accessing services or deciding on an action to take.
- 2018 Respect. Now. Always Community Forum: A CDU Community Forum was held on 3 October 2018 with Professor Philip Seltsikas, PVC Student Engagement & Success; Jill Adams, Director, Office of People & Capability; and David Pech, Team Leader, Access and Inclusion. Questions and Answers followed the presentations, with a discussion on procedures and campus activities. For more information contact equity@cdu.edu.au
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National Sexual Assault, Domestic Family Violence Counselling Service Lifeline Universities Australia National Support Line EASA - Counselling & Support for CDU Staff Ruby Gaea Darwin Centre Against Sexual Violence Sexual Assault Referral Centre (SARC) Darwin Community Legal Service |
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Sexual harassment and sexual assault is any unwanted, or uninvited behaviour of a sexual nature, which is offensive, intimidating or humiliating to another person. Sexual assault is sexual behaviour that has not been consented to and is an abuse of entitlement and/or power.
Importantly, harassment and assault are against the law.
Sexual harassment can take many forms and may include:
- physical contact or the threat of physical contact
- spoken or written comments, including online
- jokes
- propositions or the display of offensive material or behaviour that creates a sexually hostile environment.
Sexual assault can happen to people of all ages, genders and sexualities, within or outside a relationship.
Advice and support are available on campus and externally and information about these is provided below.
Remember: sexual assault is never the fault of the victim.
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Consent Matters is a free, online interactive and evidence-based course that uses activities, quizzes and relatable character scenarios and explores and the nature of sexual consent, how to identify when it has been given and where it cannot be given. This course teaches the importance of good communication, clear boundaries, and mutual respect.
This course is for all adults.
The aim of the course is to provide students with the information and education to recognise difficult situations and possible ways of stepping in if you see or hear something that makes you uncomfortable or others need help. It is about promoting positive change and ensuring that the university community is a safe and supportive environment for all.
The module takes one hour to complete; however, it does not have to be completed all at once. You can log in again and pick up where you left off.
2019 Consent Matters course can be found in "My Units" box in Learnline.
Or you can access the course by following the steps below:
- Go to: https://studying.epigeum.com
- Click on ‘How it Works’ on the top tab, then Register Now and complete the form registering with your @cdu.edu.au email address. (If you’re having trouble finding your notification email, check your junk mail.). You will then receive an activation link to your email which you need to activate your account.
- Once registration is complete, users can log in to Consent Matters – Australian Version from the list of online courses available.
- Click on the course to begin.
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Contact Officers are the first point of contact for students and staff who are experiencing discrimination, harassment or bullying and want to talk to someone about their options or would like further information.
Contact Officers are trained in the basic skills and requirements of being a contact officer, equal opportunities legislation and responsibilities, bullying and discrimination legislation, mandatory reporting responsibilities in the NT, and how to respond to disclosures of sexual violence.
View a list of the CDU Contact Officers.
If you are interested in becoming a Contact Officer please contact People and Capability.
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All members of Universities Australia, which commissioned this national survey, agreed to make public the survey results for their individual institutions. Click on the links below to access information on how to read the survey results, CDU's survey report and Universities Australia's 10-Point Action plan.
(Please note: Results showing ** indicate that the response rate was too small to be statistically relevant. CDU's response rate to the survey was comparable to those of other universities, but because our overall student numbers are relatively low, there were insufficient responses to be statistically relevant).
- How to read the survey report (PDF 311KB)
- Prevalence metrics (PDF 217KB)
- CDU's report (PDF 655KB)
- UA's 10-Point Action Plan (PDF 7.5MB)
- "Change the course: National report on sexual assault and sexual harassment at Australian universities"
- CDU Respect Now Always Community Forum Oct 16, 2017 Mal Nairn Auditorium and streamed to all campuses
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Read the 'Sexual Harassment Prevention Policy'.