Sexual Misconduct

ACHW is committed to creating an environment where staff, students, and visitors always feel safe and secure in the learning environment. It is for this reason that ACHW has a zero-tolerance policy towards sexual misconduct in any form. In the clinic, online, or in the wider community, sexual misconduct will not be tolerated by the ACHW community.

What is sexual misconduct?

Sexual misconduct includes acts of sexual assault and sexual harassment:

• Sexual assault refers to unwanted sexual acts made to another person without their consent, including rape and child molestation. All forms of sexual assault are criminal offences.
• Sexual harassment is any unwelcomed sexual behaviour or conduct that can make a person feel offended, humiliated, intimidated, or otherwise uncomfortable. Acts of sexual harassment can be physical, verbal, or They include, but are not limited to, fondling or groping, inappropriate comments or jokes of a sexual nature, and requests for sex.

For more guidance on what constitutes sexual assault or sexual harassment, visit the Australian Human Rights Commission website.

What is consent?

Consent means to agree to something freely. It is important to understand consent because all sexual acts constitute sexual misconduct when one party does not consent . Consent is more than just saying “yes” and there are many circumstances in which a person doesn’t consent to an act.

These include, but are not limited to, the following:

• The person submits to the act out of force or fear of force
• The person submits to the act out of the fear of harm of any type
• The person is asleep or unconscious
• The person is inhibited by alcohol or another drug as to be incapable of consenting to the act
• The person doesn’t say or do anything to explicitly indicate consent to the act
• The person, having given consent earlier, now withdraws their consent to the act
• The person is younger than the legal age of In South Australia and Tasmania, the age of consent is 17. In all other states and territories, the age of consent is 16.

This video helps explain the concept of consent.

Reporting sexual misconduct

All ACHW students and staff members can report an incident of sexual assault, indecent assault, or sexual harassment at any time. ACHW is committed to supporting students and staff should they experience or witness any incidence of sexual misconduct in the clinic, online, or elsewhere.

All ACHW students and staff members can report an incident of sexual assault, indecent assault, or sexual harassment at any time. ACHW is committed to supporting students and staff should they experience or witness any incidence of sexual misconduct in the clinic, online, or elsewhere.

While ACHW would appreciate all incidents of sexual misconduct to  be  reported, we understand that it is your decision whether you would like to report an incident of sexual misconduct that you have experienced. If you do report an incident of sexual misconduct that you witnessed occur to someone else, please do not provide identifying features (such as their name) of the person without their consent.

Support Contact Details

ACHW is committed to providing support to any staff, students, or other individuals who experience sexual misconduct. Please do not hesitate to reach out to our staff by calling 1 300 227 603.

You can find a list of additional support lines below:

• National Hotline for Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault — 1 800 737 732
• NSW Rape Crisis Service — 1 800 424 017 (24/7)
• Lifeline — 13 11 14 (24/7)
• AccessEAP — 1 800 818 728 (24/7)

For all immediate emergencies, please call 000.

SASH Resources

The resources listed below have been used in the development of this policy. It’s recommended staff and students familiarise themselves with these resources.

• Australian Human Rights Commission – “Change the Course” – National Report on Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment at Australian Universities 2017
• University of NSW – On Safe Ground – Strengthening Australian university responses to sexual assault and harassment
• Universities Australia – Respect.Now.Always.
• Universities Australia – Guidelines for University responses to SASH
• Universities Australia – Principles for Respectful Supervisory Relationships
• Full-stop Foundation – Factsheets
• Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations Incorporated (CAPA) – Wide Support for CAPA’s Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Recommendations
• CAPA – Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Survey – Universities Australia/Australian Human Rights Commission
• CAPA – Media Release: CAPA calls on universities to take action on sexual assault
• CAPA – Sexual Assault at Universities: What has been achieved 3 months on
• Australian Law Reform Commission – Sexual Offences – Consent