RMIT Prevention & Respect

At RMIT, we are committed to creating a safe and respectful community.

We want to be part of the solution to reduce incidents of gender-based violence and keep our RMIT community safe.

We are committed to addressing the drivers of gender-based violence, including gender inequality.

To achieve this goal, we have a dedicated Prevention & Respect team which leads work to strengthen RMIT’s approach to the prevention of gender-based violence.

Our commitment

A whole-of-organisational approach to prevent and respond to gender-based violence, which is trauma and violence-informed, person-centred and evidence-based.

We commit to:

Treat all people with dignity and respect, welcoming students and staff from diverse backgrounds. 
Embed leadership accountability for the prevention and response of gender-based violence through specialised training and support. 
Create safe campus environments through continuous improvement of workforce policies and practices, extending to engagement of accommodation providers, contractors, visitors and volunteers. 
Enable a culture of prevention, early intervention and respect through mandatory training, communications and targeted initiatives designed and delivered in partnership with disciplines. 
Use data-driven insights to inform our approach, measure change and contribute to the national evidence-base. 
Provide response and support services that are person-centred, safe and trusted, so that people impacted by gender-based violence, including witnesses, feel empowered to seek help.

At RMIT we define gender-based violence as any form of physical or non-physical violence, harassment, abuse or threats, based on gender, that results in, or is likely to result in, harm, coercion, control, fear or deprivation of liberty or autonomy.

Since 2016, when the Australian Human Rights Commission first surveyed students about sexual assault and sexual harassment at Australian universities, we’ve worked hard to build a culture of respect and make RMIT a safer place for everyone.

2026 National Student Safety Survey

RMIT is again participating in the National Student Safety Survey.

Who we are

RMIT has dedicated teams for both preventing and responding to gender-based violence, including sexual harassment, harm and assault.

RMIT has dedicated teams in both Prevention and Respect, and Response (Safer Community). This structure creates a centralised service model for gender-based violence and promotes consistency and collaboration across our work at RMIT.

The Gender-based Violence prevention and response teams sit in the Health, Safety and Risk function within the Operations portfolio, recognising that gender-based violence is also a form of psychosocial risk.

The teams are responsible for delivering Gender-based Violence Prevention and Respect Plan 2026-29, which will be launched later in 2026. This will supersede RMIT’s Addressing Gender-Based Violence Strategic Action Plan 2023-2027 (PDF).

Prevention & Respect

Our Prevention & Respect team leads all work associated with the prevention of gender-based violence.

The team:

provides learning and development opportunities
leads awareness campaigns
strengthens policies, procedures and governance
supports targeted innovations projects and activities
supports communication strategies and messaging
engages with the RMIT community to inform decision-making and prevention efforts.

Email: respect@rmit.edu.au

Safer Community – Response

Our response team, Safer Community, provides students and staff with a range of supports associated with all forms of violence and harm, such as hate crime, discrimination, verbal abuse, sexual harassment and assault, family and intimate partner violence and other associated safety issues, both on and off campuses.

Email: safercommunity@rmit.edu.au

The context for our work

Gender-based violence is unacceptable, yet it remains a pervasive global issue.

Australia has a national response to gender-based violence, which places clear obligations on universities to take stronger action to address the issue. This response includes:

the National Plan to End Violence against Women and Children 2022–2032
the Action Plan Addressing Gender-based Violence in Higher Education published in 2024
the National Code.

The evidence base tells us that there are certain groups of people who are disproportionately impacted by gender-bases violence, including women, First Nations people, culturally and racially marginalised communities, people with disability and people of diverse sexual orientation and gender identity (the National Code 2026).

As a dual institution with a diverse community, RMIT’s students and staff are represented in this data. We know that gender-based violence has profound, long-lasting impacts on students, staff, and the wider community.

Our governance and policies

RMIT is committed to building and maintaining a robust and transparent governance structure that both, informs and is responsible for all the associated work with the prevention and response to gender-based violence at RMIT.

Our work is led by our leaders including our Vice-Chancellor and current co-chairs for the Vice-Chancellor’s Advisory Group on Addressing Gender-Based Violence are:

The following outlines both our process and responsibilities

Quarterly meetings of the Vice-Chancellor’s Advisory Group for Addressing Gender-based Violence
6-monthly reporting to Council against our outcomes framework and de-identified data on incidents of gender-based violence, through the Council Sub Committee Nominations, Remuneration, People and Performance Committee (NRPPC) on progress against our Prevention and Response Plan.
Annual summary reporting to Council through the Council Sub Committee Nominations, Remuneration, People and Performance Committee (NRPPC) on progress against our Prevention and Response Plan.

Our current policies

Our past plans and reports

Addressing Gender-Based Violence Annual Report 2025

This report measures our progress in preventing and responding to gender-based violence at RMIT. It reflects our ongoing commitment to addressing this critical issue and the efforts we have undertaken to create safe and inclusive environments for all.

Download report (PDF 4.5 MB)

Group of students walking on the RMIT campus near a large, abstract brown sculpture in front of a modern building with yellow-framed glass doors and windows.

Preventing and responding to gender-based violence

There is no place for gender-based violence at RMIT. We are committed to creating a safe, respectful and inclusive environment for everyone. We will continue to support those impacted by gender-based violence, whether physical or non-physical, no matter where it occurs.

Gender Equity and Justice Projects

Here at RMIT our prevention and respect area is committing to piloting new ways to find solutions and we are embedding a masculinities focus across all that we do. Find out more about our Working Together with Men and our Gender Equity & Justice innovation approaches here.

Acknowledgement of Country

RMIT University acknowledges the people of the Woi wurrung and Boon wurrung language groups of the eastern Kulin Nation on whose unceded lands we conduct the business of the University. RMIT University respectfully acknowledges their Ancestors and Elders, past and present. RMIT also acknowledges the Traditional Custodians and their Ancestors of the lands and waters across Australia where we conduct our business - Artwork 'Sentient' by Hollie Johnson, Gunaikurnai and Monero Ngarigo.

Learn more about our commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples