UNSW's plan to address gender-based violence

The Gender-based Violence Prevention and Response Plan contains 81 actions, all aimed at ensuring that UNSW is an environment where everyone feels safe, supported and respected. This plan will help keep everyone at UNSW, whether they're student or staff, safe across every Australian campus.

The key goals of this plan are:

• Take steps to support a safe environment in different situations, including in student accommodation. For example, by improving how activities and events are managed
• Help stop gender-based violence before it happens at Uni. For example, by providing education on consent, respectful relationships and bystander action
• Make it easier to report incidents and get support at UNSW when something happens. For example, by making it clearer about what support is available and how you can access it
• Improve how UNSW responds and supports students and staff when something happens. For example, by listening to feedback on your experience to improve processes
• Keep improving, which includes listening to students where possible, such as through the GBV Student Reference Group.

What is UNSW doing to address gendered violence? 

In 2024, the Safer Communities team was established to bring together staff from across UNSW to coordinate GBV prevention and response initiatives. Specialist staff were engaged to respond to incident reports through student and staff support teams. Several initiatives were enacted, including:

• Establishing a new student consultation group with paid participation 
• Introducing mandatory GBV education for students and staff
• Delivering bystander training
• Improving online reporting and UNSW's capacity to collect incident data.

In 2025, the Safer Communities team coordinated the UNSW response to the National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence. The team helped develop a new strategy and policy, introduced new approaches to risk management and assessment in student and staff settings (including student residential partners), and developed and implemented the Gendered Violence Portal campaign to promote awareness of support pathways in close partnership with students and Arc.

In 2026, UNSW launched the new Gender-based Violence Prevention and Response Plan and Policy. There's a focus on redeveloping prevention and response education, implementing trauma-informed processes in teams across UNSW, continuing to establish appropriate ways to manage risk related to incidents and UNSW activities, and establishing program evaluation. Work has also commenced to refine the user experience of online reporting and address the extensive data reporting requirements of the National Code. September will also see the launch of SEXtember, UNSW’s annual student event supporting good relationships, sexual health and sex education, which will provide additional awareness about GBV prevention.

This work will continue in 2027, alongside new education initiatives for students and staff. Focus will be placed on trauma-informed responding to disclosures and bystander skills, and a campaign on technology-facilitated forms of gendered violence will be developed in partnership with students and Arc.