All Macquarie students and staff can access and complete Consent Matters free of charge. It can be found on iLearn, the University’s learning management system and is located specifically in the Respect. Now. Always. (RNA) community site. Go here to enrol or download this guide to read more about how to access the course.

The RNA community site is a growing online portal for all students and staff to find out more about support services, workshops, and other resources in the area of preventing and responding to sexual assault and sexual harassment on campus.

On Thursday I will launch Macquarie University’s Respect. Now. Always. (RNA) Action Plan to the University community.

It is now one year since the Australian Human Rights Commission released its report on sexual assault and sexual harassment at Australian universities, ‘Change the Course’, and we gathered to discuss the implications and required actions we needed to take as a University.

At Macquarie University, we do not tolerate acts of sexual assault and sexual harassment. As an institution, we are committed to preventing these behaviours and fostering a culture of safety and respect. The Respect. Now. Always. Action Plan underpins the University’s commitment to provide a safe environment for students and staff through cultural and organisational change.

If you have experienced sexual assault or sexual harassment, I want you to know that you do not have to cope on your own. We can help you get the right support and ensure that you, and other community members, are safe on campus.

In the 12 months since the Commission released its report, we have partnered with students and staff to pursue the commitments we made to establish a safe and respectful culture on campus, and to provide compassion, care and support to those who seek help. Our process has been collaborative, comprehensive and evidence-based. I am grateful to the students, staff and community members who took part in the initial survey, and to those who continue to give their feedback so openly.

Through the RNA Project, progress to date includes:

• An extensive education program focused on building the capacity of the Macquarie community to prevent and respond to incidents of sexual assault and sexual harassment:
  • Consent Matters is an online learning course available via the iLearn RNA site. All students will be required to complete the course during their studies. To access the course, click here.
  • Face-to-face workshops for students are available throughout Session 2. The workshop focuses on understanding consent in relationships, decision-making and communication in relationships, as well as how to take action, safely, to prevent sexual assault or sexual harassment. You can book into a workshop via the iLearn RNA site.
• Information about education, support on campus and reporting options is available via the iLearn RNA site. I would encourage all students and staff to enrol in iLearn RNA.
• In addition, the RNA team has delivered tailored face-to-face workshops to student groups and staff with identified needs and risks relating to sexual assault and sexual harassment.
• Over the next 12 months, all Macquarie staff will have access to training on understanding sexual harassment and sexual assault, and responding to disclosures.
• For those staff and student leaders who are most likely to receive disclosures, additional face-to-face training will be provided.

Our response has also focused on the support available to students and staff, including:

• Commissioning an independent, expert-led audit of Macquarie’s counselling services;
• Establishing a Student Care and Trauma Team in Campus Wellbeing to meet the needs of students who require emergency care;
• Working closely with our accommodation partners to review existing systems and develop agreed standards for responding to sexual assault and sexual harassment;
• Engaging the Northern Sydney Sexual Assault Service and Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia to ensure our actions are guided by independent, expert advice;
• Increasing community awareness of support services and reporting options. This information is displayed via a stand-alone RNA webpage and iLearn RNA;
• Reviewing existing policies and procedures for effective enforcement, and developing a single sexual assault and sexual harassment policy.

I acknowledge that there is still much work to be done. Meaningful change requires that we target the cultural factors known to contribute to acts of sexual assault and sexual harassment.

Moving forward, I am calling on all members of the Macquarie community to bring about the change we need.  We all have a role to play in developing a culture of safety and respect. Whether it be through participating in RNA workshops, completing Consent Matters, challenging attitudes and practices that may lead to harmful conduct, or providing us with feedback, all students and staff can commit to taking action.

I invite you all to attend the launch, and engage with the panel discussion on sexual harassment. I remain personally and deeply committed to this important project. Together with the leadership of our Executive Sponsors, Nicole Gower and Professor Kevin Jameson, support of the Respect. Now. Always. Staff and Student Advisory Groups, and continued engagement with the Macquarie community, I am confident that we will make meaningful progress towards ensuring that the University is a place of safety and respect.

Professor S Bruce Dowton

Vice-Chancellor

To register for the Respect. Now. Always.Action Plan launch event, click here or download the Respect. Now. Always. Action Plan.

Support at Macquarie
For students: Campus Wellbeing can provide confidential counselling, discuss report and complaint-making options at the University and refer you where appropriate. Campus Wellbeing provides same day appointments for any urgent issues.

To contact Campus Wellbeing, you can phone, email, fill in the self-referral form online, or drop by Reception:

T: (02) 9850 7497
T: 1800 227 367 (24/7)
E: campuswellbeing@mq.edu.au
W: online self-referral form

Campus Wellbeing is located on Level 2, 16 Wally’s Walk (Building C8A). Opening hours Monday – Friday 8.30am – 5.30pm.

For staff: Staff or their immediate families can access free confidential counselling or support via the Employee Assistance Program.  Support and information about reporting is available from your immediate supervisor or from Human Resources.

IDAHOBIT is an opportunity for our university community to focus on issues of discrimination, celebrate progress to date and reflect on how we can build a more inclusive culture for all students and staff at Macquarie.

To mark the occasion and on the 40^thyear since the first Sydney Mardi Gras, this Thursday the Macquarie Queer Collective will host a special ‘78ers’ panel event, featuring five of the courageous equality advocates whose protest march in 1978 led to the Sydney Gay and Lesbian Mardi Gras we know today.

The panel discussion will provide an insight into the history, evolution and ongoing journey towards equality of the LGBTIQ+ community here in Sydney, from the perspectives of these stalwarts of LGBTIQ+ activism. Make sure to register for this one-off event, as seats are limited and filling fast.

To support equality and inclusion for our LGBTIQ+ staff at Macquarie, the MQ Workplace Diversity and Inclusion team leads a range of initiatives. Our sexual and gender diversity webpage has information and useful resources available to staff and students including fact sheets and interesting videos to promote understanding of LGBTIQ+ issues, and links to support services both on campus and externally.

One of those support options that is entirely made up of Macquarie staff and students is the Macquarie Ally Network. These committed members of our community have completed a short training workshop that enables them to provide confidential support for our LGBTIQ+ students and staff and they can offer advice on where to find further help in times of need.  Allies are trained to be active bystanders and to call out discrimination, to make the Macquarie community inclusive and welcoming to all.

We are always looking for new Allies and run regular training workshops. Should you want to contact an Ally or if you’d like to learn more about how to join the Ally Network visit the Ally Network webpage or email lauren.dillon@mq.edu.au. We would love to hear from you.

Don’t forget that all LGBTIQ+ students and their allies can also drop in to the Queerspace located on level 3, 18 Wally’s Walk (C7A) MAZE, to meet other members of the community, make connections and even get in touch with the Queer Collective student group.

The 78ers panel event will be held from 12-1pm on Thursday. To attend, register here.

Join us for a glass of ice tea as we work together to make our university an iMQlusive culture. The team at the RNA (Respect. Now. Always.) stall also invites you to play a game of Jenga and find out how you can help shape a culture of safety and respect at Macquarie!

For more information, visit our RNA page or find us on Facebook here.

Following the release last week by the Australian Human Rights Commission of the national report and Macquarie’s own report into sexual assault and sexual harassment, we started a conversation and will continue with our work at Macquarie on how best to address the issues raised in these reports.

On the day of the report release the Vice-Chancellor Professor S Bruce Dowton hosted a Town Hall for students and staff where more than 160 people attended.

The Town Hall event invited staff and students to come together as a community to discuss the findings of the report, and reaffirm the Vice-Chancellor’s and Macquarie’s commitment to the Respect.Now.Always. project.

The Vice-Chancellor spoke openly on his personal commitment to addressing the issues raised by the report and provided an overview of Macquarie’s own results. The Vice-Chancellor then joined in a panel session that also featured Professor Catharine Lumby, Esra Mustafa from North Sydney Sexual Assault Service, The Hon. Jenny Aitchinson MP (Member for Maitland and Shadow Minister for the Prevention of Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault), and students Jimmy Brackin, Jasmine Noud (President of the Women’s Collective) and Harini Enasha De Mel. The floor was then opened for questions from students and staff.

An information session on the project and reports was also held for staff which saw representation from staff across Macquarie.

The Respect. Now. Always. project team will continue to work with the executive team and consult with students and staff members supported by external experts, with a focus on prevention and cultural change through evidence-based education, and the review and improvement of Macquarie’s policies, procedures and support services.

The Vice-Chancellor acknowledged that there is still much work to be done, and as a community we will continue to work together to ensure that our University is a safe and supportive environment where students are able to achieve their full potential in peace and confidence.

Macquarie has a range of support services available to all students. Visit the website for more.

As part of the broader campaign across all Australian universities, some Macquarie students have been randomly selected to participate in Australia’s first-ever national survey on student experiences of sexual assault and harassment.

The survey is completely anonymous and is being run by the independent Australian Human Rights Commission. We can only get a clear picture of the prevalence of sexual assault and harassment in our student community if all selected students complete the survey.

If you receive an email from the Respect. Now. Always. project, we encourage you to take part by following the link to the survey and completing the questionnaire, even if you have not experienced any form of harassment.

We have also developed a central hub with a range of materials and resources that you may find helpful when considering or dealing with these issues. We are very committed to providing a safe, respectful and enjoyable experience for everyone who chooses to study with us, and we’re grateful for your support for this very important initiative.

If you have any questions about the Respect. Now. Always. project, or any of the issues raised, please contact Campus Wellbeing on (02) 9850 7497.

If you have not been randomly selected but would like to share your views, there is an opportunity to do so. Any student not selected to participate can make a submission online via the Australian Human Rights Commission’s website.