NCAS is the world’s longest-running population-level survey of community attitudes towards violence against women, conducted every four years by Australia’s National Research Organisation for Women’s Safety (ANROWS). The findings are drawn from interviews with a representative sample of 19,100 Australians aged 16 years and over.

Macquarie University is committed to providing a respectful working and learning environment where staff and students are treated with compassion and confidentiality when they disclose personal experiences of relationship violence. There are a range of measures available to support staff who are affected including a dedicated domestic and family violence webpage.

As well as providing details of external counselling services with expertise in domestic and family violence, the site includes information for managers and colleagues of staff experiencing violence, such as how to recognise the signs and refer the staff member to external support services. A Response Guide for Managers and HR representatives is also available.

Members of our student community affected by relationship violence can contact Macquarie Student Wellbeing by submitting an online CARE referral form. The service is free and confidential and run by qualified staff.

The United Nations International campaign 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence occurs annually from 25 November (the International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women) until 10 December (Human Rights Day). The global theme this year is ‘UNITE! Activism to end violence against women and girls’ and calls for a world free from gender-based violence.

In Australia, one in three women have experienced physical violence since the age of 15, and one in five has experienced sexual violence, with the rates of violence even higher for certain groups, such as Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women. However, a person of any gender, in any domestic or family relationship, can be a target or perpetrator of domestic or family violence. Domestic and family violence is conduct that is violent, threatening, coercive, controlling or intended to cause the family or household member to be fearful. Domestic and family violence can also occur online.

Professor Bronwyn Carlson is Head of the Department of Indigenous Studies, Director of the Centre for Global Indigenous Futures and Deputy Director Indigenous for the newly-funded Australian Research Council Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women (CEVAW). She is also a Member of the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Advisory Council on family, domestic and sexual violence. This council will inform the Australian Government’s National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022 -2032.

“The elimination of gender-based violence is one of the major challenges of the 21st century. The ARC Centre for the Elimination of Violence Against Women will focus on examining the structural drivers that cause violence against women and pioneering new evidence-based approaches to radically improve policy and practice across Australia and the Indo-Pacific,” says Professor Carlson.

 “The CEVAW also includes an Indigenous-centred approach and will work closely with practitioners and Indigenous leadership to build a community of theory and practice to test fundamental theory, co-design and scale up elimination strategies.”

Macquarie University is committed to providing a safe and respectful working environment where staff are treated with respect, compassion, and confidentiality when they disclose personal experiences of domestic and family violence. There are a range of measures available to support staff who are affected by domestic and family violence.

• Permanent staff can access to up to 20 days of paid Domestic and Family Violence Leave to attend medical appointments, organise alternative accommodation, care and/or education arrangements and access legal advice.
• Casual staff members can access up to five days of unpaid Domestic and Family Violence Leave.
• Flexible working arrangements are available for domestic and family violence-related reasons, including changes to hours of work, work relocations and changes to university contact details such as phone numbers and email addresses.
• Professional, confidential counselling support is available through the Employee assistance program.
• Assistance with workplace risk assessment and safety planning is available.

The University has a dedicated domestic and family violence webpage, which provides information on support for staff and the external services available. The site includes information to support managers and colleagues of staff experiencing domestic and family violence, such as recognising the signs and referring the staff member for support. Response Guidelines for Managers and HR representatives are also available.

If you or someone you know is experiencing Domestic and family violence, support is available from 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732, by visiting 1800respect.org.au or speaking with Macquarie’s EAP provider on 1300 360 364.

With Session 2 about to commence, it’s timely to remind all staff where to direct any student enquiries, especially with these recent changes.

Service Connect is a student’s first point of contact for enquiries and the team are there to assist students to navigate and access the right Macquarie services for them.

MQBS, FOA and FMHHS students with Faculty-based enquiries who would previously have been directed to Faculty Student Centres, now need to be directed to Service Connect. FSE students can continue to visit the FSE student centre at 14 Sir Christopher Ondaatje Avenue until 19 August.

It’s also important to know that students can find answers to many of their questions online via AskMQ or they can use AskMQ to submit enquiries. Service Connect has a live chat function available during business hours via the Service Connect website which is now available for all students with general enquiries and can mean a faster response time for students who would prefer to connect digitally.  

Pictured: An example of artwork that will be used to create awareness of the change to Service Connect.

All Faculty Student Centres have, or will have, signage in their old location directing students to 18 Wally’s Walk ensuring that students find the correct place to get the help they need if they come searching in person. 

Please note that enquiries for Macquarie University College remain unchanged and their student services centre can be found on the Ground Floor of 8 Sir Christopher Ondaatje Avenue. 

Service Connect

Ground Floor, 18 Wally’s Walk

Submit an online enquiry via AskMQ

Live Chat, found in the bottom right corner of the webpage during business hours

Tel: +61 (2) 9850 6410

Service Connect is currently open from 8.30am – 5.30pm, during this peak time. Standard business hours are 9am – 5pm, Monday to Friday.

While exceptional student support has long been a hallmark of Macquarie’s ‘students first’ mindset, 2020 will be remembered as the year that student support went beyond anything we have known before. 

Teams across the University have come together to provide unprecedented levels of support for our students through COVID-19, embodying the principles of the Student Success Strategic Framework and demonstrating the deep sense of commitment to students that is felt by so many Macquarie staff.

We asked teams in the Office of Executive Director Student Engagement and Registrar – whose mission it is to proactively support the academic, personal, social and professional success of Macquarie students – to share some of the University’s key COVID-19 student support initiatives.

First, listen

Following the initial COVID outbreak, the team worked quickly to roll out mechanisms for gathering feedback – including a weekly survey to take the pulse of the student body; an all-student calling campaign and webinars – to determine priority support areas for students. A pulse survey page keeps students updated on progress of these supports and reinforces that the University’s COVID response is centred around their needs.

Rolling out priority support

After moving to meet immediate support needs such as food and housing, the team quickly began building the more complex support mechanisms required to enable successful online learning, social connection and general wellbeing.

The Student Success Support Package was established to provide emergency payments and tiered financial support, with priority given to students in highest need. To date, almost 4000 applications have been processed, with approximately 70 per cent of applications from our international students.

Connecting an online community

In response to feedback that students weren’t sure where to find information, the team moved to create a suite of communications materials, including one-page ‘cheat sheets’ on topics such as where to go for help, home IT and tips for online learning success.

A dedicated site, O-zone [Online Zone], was then launched to provide a ‘one stop shop’ for students to connect with the range of supports available, alongside a new weekly email newsletter to keep students updated and to reinforce available supports.

A range of new resources were launched to keep students connected socially, including a new student online events page, fun social media challenges and a new student-produced blog MQ Scoop, which sees Macquarie students ‘telling it like it is’. 

Contributing student blogger Annie Renouf says she’s proud to be part of the blog project.

“Words have an incredible power to bring people together and I’m passionate about helping to keep students connected during this time when we’re all adjusting to learning online and being at home,” she says. 

The power of a phone call

A key component of the COVID support framework has been an all-student calling campaign, managed by Student Connect and supported by staff redeployed from other areas of the University. These personal calls enable us to check on students’ personal wellbeing, connect them with necessary supports and gather feedback on student experience.

More than 14,000 Macquarie students have been personally contacted to date, with the Vice-Chancellor making a number of calls himself, to hear first-hand how our students are being impacted by COVID-19. 

Keeping careers on track

The Careers team have launched the Job Rescue program – connecting students who have lost jobs with employers hiring casual workers. Over 300 students have taken part in online Job Rescue sessions.  There has also been strong student engagement with live chats and online workshops hosted by the Careers and Employment team to support students’ professional development.

• The staff wellbeing portal, which has information on physical and mental health and the services available at Macquarie.
• The Employee Assistance Program (EAP), which provides counselling for a range of areas including relationships, work/life balance, vocational goals, managing change, anxiety, depression, physical wellbeing, interpersonal conflict and more. Counselling can be delivered face-to-face in the EAP office on Epping Road or via LiveChat, email, phone and video conferencing.
• managerAssist® for managers and team leaders, which provides a senior consultant to discuss strategies, options and approaches to help employees thrive and perform.
• Training and Development courses for staff, including Mental Health Awareness and Building your Emotional Resilience. Register via HR Online after notifying your manager.
• The Sport and Aquatic Centre, which has great deals for staff.
• uMassage in the Campus Hub, which offers reflexology, cupping, acupuncture and massage.
• The Centre for Emotional Health Clinic, which offers support and treatment for a range of issues, including anxiety and stress, shyness and social anxiety, depression or low mood, parenting difficulties, post traumatic stress disorder, trauma, loss and grief.

The Respect.Now.Always support page has also been refreshed so take an opportunity to familiarise yourself with its content, particularly where to go for support if you or someone you know has experienced sexual assault or sexual harassment. On this page, you will find a range of useful information about confidential counselling, medical support, reporting, complaint options, and external services.