Safe and respectful communities
Bond University has a commitment to ensuring students live and study within a safe and respectful community. Critical to this is a commitment to delivering education and resources to raise awareness about Bond’s response to sexual harm within our community.
Sexual harm and gender violence are a scourge on society and must not be tolerated on university campuses or elsewhere. At Bond, we are very conscious of the deep and lasting traumatic impact that such abhorrent behaviour can inflict on victims and survivors. The University is deeply sorry to those who have experienced any form of sexual harm or gender violence.
Our goal is to eradicate these behaviours through trauma-informed education, cultural change, and collective responsibility and accountability of our leaders, staff, and students to call out and report any unacceptable behaviour, gender violence and sexual harm.
Click here to read the full report from the Vice Chancellor’s Taskforce into Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment.
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How do I report an incident of sexual harm or gender violence?
Bond is committed to creating a safe and supportive environment for all students that empowers and supports them to speak up, self-help, and self-determine the actions they wish to take and where perpetrators cannot hide.
The information on this page provides options for reporting incidents and seeking support.
For links to assist you in reporting sexual harm go here.
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Who receives my report of sexual harm or gender violence?
The Bond University Safer Community Team is responsible for receiving reports of sexual harm, undertaking immediate steps to ensure the safety of parties involved, and ensuring students are connected to an appropriate, dedicated support person who will assist the student throughout the process.
We encourage all members of our community, staff, and students to report any incidents of sexual harm to the Safer Community Team, whether you are a victim, bystander, or a support person.
The Safer Community Team:
- takes a trauma-informed approach to responding to disclosures and reports of sexual harm with transparency, respect and privacy being at the core
- supports students to understand options, and self-determine what actions they would like to take, ensuring they remain supported throughout the process
- can receive and respond to anonymous reports and complaints, noting this may limit the actions the university can make to investigate and respond
The Safer Community Team is comprised of three senior university officers who have specific roles in relation to responding to reports, the Chief Integrity Officer, the Director Student Success and Wellbeing and the Manager Security. The purpose of the Safer Community Team is to:
- assess and make immediate safety provisions as required
- connect students with dedicated support person to provide ongoing support and care
- provide clear information on options available to assist students to self-determine actions
The Chief Integrity Office will manage any ongoing investigation as needed, in alignment with the University’s policy.
To report inappropriate behaviour, gender violence or sexual harm to the Safer Community Team visit the following link.
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What are my support options if I don't want to report to the Safer Community Team?
If you are seeking support for yourself or wish to report wellbeing concerns of others, we are here to support you and provide you with options.
We take a ‘no wrong door’ approach to disclosing or reporting sexual harm and gender violence and respect your decision to determine the right approach for you.
The BondCare Team are trained wellbeing specialists who can provide you with support and information and assist you to access external specialist supports or report incidents to the Queensland Police.
To access BondCare for support and information email wellbeing@bond.edu.au or follow this link.
For more information on the full range of internal and external supports available click here.
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What else is the University doing to respond to sexual harm?
In 2022, Bond University established a taskforce to oversee the implementation of strategies designed to strengthen our university’s response to sexual harm, including:
- creation of the Office of Integrity whose responsibilities included a review of sexual harm policy.
- simplification of reporting mechanisms
- enhancement of supports
- partnering with external experts to support the development of educative resources
Read the final report of the Vice Chancellor’s Taskforce into Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment here.
The work of the taskforce has now been embedded into the core business of Bond University. Continuous review and improvement will be overseen by the Student Transition, Wellbeing and Safety Committee in partnership with students, external subject matter experts and key stakeholders across the university community.
Bond University is committed to transparency in our response to this critically important issue. Public reporting fosters a culture of accountability and education which assists in minimising behaviours which lead to sexual harm.
Click here for our Annual Sexual Harm Report.
Respect Now Always campaign
Bond University is also committed to supporting the sector-wide campaign to prevent sexual harm and gender violence. To read more about the campaign nationally, visit: Respect.Now.Always. #respectnowalways
Bond is committed to creating a safe and supportive environment for all students that empowers and supports them to speak up, self-help, and self-determine the actions they wish to take and where perpetrators cannot hide.
The information on this page provides options for reporting incidents and seeking support.
For links to assist you in reporting sexual harm go here.
The Bond University Safer Community Team is responsible for receiving reports of sexual harm, undertaking immediate steps to ensure the safety of parties involved, and ensuring students are connected to an appropriate, dedicated support person who will assist the student throughout the process.
We encourage all members of our community, staff, and students to report any incidents of sexual harm to the Safer Community Team, whether you are a victim, bystander, or a support person.
The Safer Community Team:
- takes a trauma-informed approach to responding to disclosures and reports of sexual harm with transparency, respect and privacy being at the core
- supports students to understand options, and self-determine what actions they would like to take, ensuring they remain supported throughout the process
- can receive and respond to anonymous reports and complaints, noting this may limit the actions the university can make to investigate and respond
The Safer Community Team is comprised of three senior university officers who have specific roles in relation to responding to reports, the Chief Integrity Officer, the Director Student Success and Wellbeing and the Manager Security. The purpose of the Safer Community Team is to:
- assess and make immediate safety provisions as required
- connect students with dedicated support person to provide ongoing support and care
- provide clear information on options available to assist students to self-determine actions
The Chief Integrity Office will manage any ongoing investigation as needed, in alignment with the University’s policy.
To report inappropriate behaviour, gender violence or sexual harm to the Safer Community Team visit the following link.
If you are seeking support for yourself or wish to report wellbeing concerns of others, we are here to support you and provide you with options.
We take a ‘no wrong door’ approach to disclosing or reporting sexual harm and gender violence and respect your decision to determine the right approach for you.
The BondCare Team are trained wellbeing specialists who can provide you with support and information and assist you to access external specialist supports or report incidents to the Queensland Police.
To access BondCare for support and information email wellbeing@bond.edu.au or follow this link.
For more information on the full range of internal and external supports available click here.
In 2022, Bond University established a taskforce to oversee the implementation of strategies designed to strengthen our university’s response to sexual harm, including:
- creation of the Office of Integrity whose responsibilities included a review of sexual harm policy.
- simplification of reporting mechanisms
- enhancement of supports
- partnering with external experts to support the development of educative resources
Read the final report of the Vice Chancellor’s Taskforce into Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment here.
The work of the taskforce has now been embedded into the core business of Bond University. Continuous review and improvement will be overseen by the Student Transition, Wellbeing and Safety Committee in partnership with students, external subject matter experts and key stakeholders across the university community.
Bond University is committed to transparency in our response to this critically important issue. Public reporting fosters a culture of accountability and education which assists in minimising behaviours which lead to sexual harm.
Click here for our Annual Sexual Harm Report.
Respect Now Always campaign
Bond University is also committed to supporting the sector-wide campaign to prevent sexual harm and gender violence. To read more about the campaign nationally, visit: Respect.Now.Always. #respectnowalways
Student support strategy
Students can access the resources below to understand Bond University's response to sexual misconduct, report any wellbeing or sexual harm incidences and learn more about the Student Support Strategy.
Primary Prevention of Sexual Harm in the University — Good Practice Guide
Sexual harm is a societal problem and just like the rest of Australian society, universities must play their part in stamping it. While there are many frameworks guiding primary prevention in Australia, gaps remain. This guide (published July, 2023) aims to drive collaboration between primary prevention practitioners and foster a culture of working to dismantle the values, norms, practices, and structures that enable gender-based violence and sexual harm in our university communities.