To confirm the University’s commitment to equal opportunity for all members of the University community.

To create an environment that values diversity and is free from discrimination and harassment and where allegations of breaches of these Guidelines are dealt with fairly and promptly.

To give effect to the University’s legal obligation to take positive action in providing an environment free from discrimination and harassment.

These Guidelines applies to all students and prospective students, staff and prospective staff, and other individuals associated with the University in all situations or activities related to their roles at the University. Such situations and activities may extend beyond University campuses and day-to-day activities eg field trips, conferences, events and functions, student senate/club volunteer activities, University on- and off-campus residences.

Federation University Australia is committed to providing equal opportunity and freedom from discrimination, harassment and vilification for all members of the University community, and to creating an environment which reflects and values the social and cultural diversity within the University community and the communities it serves.

The University will not tolerate discrimination, sexual or discriminatory harassment, racial or religious vilification or victimisation, as defined in these Guidelines, in any University activities.

The University will take proactive, reasonable and proportionate measures to eliminate discrimination, sexual and discriminatory harassment, vilification and victimisation within University activities, and recognises the potential for the University to be vicariously liable if all such measures have not been taken.

The University will provide reasonable adjustments/flexible working arrangements to the learning and working environment as required, and will use inclusive practices wherever practicable, to ensure that all people have equal opportunity to access and participate in University activities. This is particularly relevant to students and staff with disability.

The University will use its best endeavours to reflect and value the diversity of the University community and the communities it serves in its learning materials, publications, publicity, and when recognising the contributions of individuals to the University and the broader community, and to ensure that the University’s learning materials, publications and official documents use inclusive and non-discriminatory language.

The University acknowledges the systemic disadvantage that affects participation and progression in University activities by some members of the University community and the communities it serves. The University will take proactive steps to redress this. As part of this, the University will put in place measures to have the composition of governance bodies, and staff and student populations better reflect the diversity within the communities served by the University. This may involve the implementation of special measures that lawfully discriminate between groups of individuals for the purpose of realising substantive equality for members of a group with a particular attribute.

Particular focus will be given to the development of measures to advance equality and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and staff, as expressed in the University’s Statement on Reconciliation, and to the promotion of workplace gender equality.

The University will ensure that it has in place procedures to deal with any alleged breaches of these Guidelines fairly and expeditiously.

Staff members, students and other individuals associated with the University are responsible for their own behaviour and may face disciplinary and/or legal action if they engage in, condone or collude with discriminatory, sexually harassing, vilifying or victimising behaviour.

All University fixed-term and continuing staff are required to successfully complete the University online Discrimination and Harassment training. For new staff completion must be within the first three months of their employment. Deans, Directors and Managers are responsible for ensuring staff completions.

Supervisors, Managers, Academics and Teachers of the University are responsible to use their best endeavours to ensure an inclusive learning and working environment that is free from discrimination, discriminatory and sexual harassment, vilification and victimisation in the areas or activities for which they are responsible. This responsibility includes communicating the intent of these Guidelines, where appropriate, to their staff, students and other individuals associated with the University for whom they are responsible, and taking appropriate action in the event of a concern being raised about breaches of these Guidelines.

Staff who develop University learning materials, publications, publicity materials and official documents are responsible for ensuring the use of inclusive and non-discriminatory language and for using images that reflect social and cultural diversity.

Where senior staff or University committees are seeking persons to be honoured or formally recognised by the University, they are responsible for making their best endeavours to reflect and value social and cultural diversity.

Supervisors, Managers, Academics and Teachers, and any staff responsible for learning activities, facilities and services, are responsible for using inclusive practices in the review, design and implementation of activities and actions within their domains.

Supervisors, Managers, Academics and Teachers are responsible for ensuring the provision of reasonable adjustments/flexible working arrangements to the learning and working environment as required. Where Learning Access Plans are developed by FedUni’s Disability and Learning Access Unit (DLAU) for students with disability, these will be regarded as the recommended reasonable adjustment/s which balance the needs of the student, academic standards and FedUni’s legislative responsibilities.

Managers and staff with responsibility for planning within their areas of operation are responsible for identifying areas of under-achievement in the participation and progression of groups of students and staff (such as Indigenous people, women, people with disabilities, people from low socio-economic backgrounds, people from culturally diverse backgrounds) and putting in place measures to positively address participation and progression of these identified groups. Particular emphasis should be given to the development of measures to advance equality and respect for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students and staff, and to the promotion of workplace gender equality.

Staff with responsibility for engaging other individuals or groups (such as contractors, partner providers) who will have interactions with University staff, students or other individuals associated with the University, are responsible for putting in place measures to have those individuals or groups comply with the expectations of these Guidelines where appropriate to their activities.

Governance bodies are responsible for putting in place measures to ensure diversity in the composition of governance bodies and their sub-committees and working parties.

The Manager, Equity and Equal Opportunity is responsible for the provision of information on these Guidelines and to provide advice to individuals and committees, and input to University policy and practices, in order to assist the University to prevent and redress breaches of these Guidelines.

The Deputy Vice-Chancellor Academic, as nominee of the Vice-Chancellor, has overall responsibility for the implementation and review of these Guidelines.

Any person who believes that they have experienced discriminatory or sexual harassment, discrimination, vilification or victimisation in breach of these Guidelines can seek advice and information on courses of action available to them from the Manager, Equity and Equal Opportunity.

There are six internal processes to deal with breaches of these Guidelines. Complaints should be raised as soon as possible, but normally not later than 12 months after the incident(s) that led to the complaint occurring.

While use of internal complaint processes are encouraged, anyone with a complaint of breach of these Guidelines has the right to seek advice from and/or lodge a complaint with external bodies including the Victorian Equal Opportunity and Human Rights Commission, the Australian Human Rights Commission and the Police. In the case of alleged criminal offences the University encourages reporting to the Police and reserves its right to separately inform the Police.

The Equal Opportunity and Valuing Diversity Guidelines will be communicated throughout the University via an Announcement Notice via FedNews and on the 'Recently Approved Documents' page on the 'Policies, Procedures and Forms @ the University' website to alert the University-wide community of the approval.

The Equal Opportunity and Valuing Diversity Guidelines will be implemented throughout Federation University via: