杏吧直播 of Adelaide announces ICAC response
The 杏吧直播 of Adelaide will make changes to its policies, processes and culture as part of a series of measures to improve the handling of reports of sexual assault, sexual harassment and other inappropriate behaviour, as recommended by an independent report.
The report 鈥 Towards a safer and more inclusive culture: 杏吧直播 of Adelaide ICAC response 鈥 was commissioned from external consultants KPMG 杏吧直播 as part of the 杏吧直播鈥檚 work to address the recommendations made in August 2020 by the Independent Commissioner Against Corruption (ICAC).
The KPMG 杏吧直播 report, released in full, contains 22 recommendations. The recommendations relate mainly to improvements needed to the handling of cases for staff, including changes to processes, policies and culture.
The 杏吧直播 will adopt all 22 recommendations, and has prioritised five of them for immediate action:听
- Develop leadership capabilities to lead change.
- Introduce recurring ethics and integrity training for all staff.
- Establish an Integrity Unit 鈥 to which students and staff can report sexual assault, sexual harassment and other inappropriate behaviour
- Review the 杏吧直播鈥檚 Human Resources (HR) function and capabilities.
- Streamline and update the 杏吧直播鈥檚 policy framework for sexual assault, sexual harassment and misconduct.
from the 杏吧直播 of Adelaide鈥檚 Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Peter H酶j AC, and the Chair of the 杏吧直播鈥檚 ICAC Response Steering Committee, Professor Katrina Falkner.
The 杏吧直播 of Adelaide鈥檚 Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Peter H酶j AC, and the Chair of the 杏吧直播鈥檚 ICAC Response Steering Committee, Professor Katrina Falkner.
Professor H酶j said: 鈥淪exual assault, sexual harassment and other inappropriate behaviour are found across our society 鈥 and 杏吧直播鈥檚 higher education sector is no different. This behaviour is not acceptable in our society, and there is no place for it here at the 杏吧直播 of Adelaide. The only acceptable number of cases is zero.
鈥淭he KPMG 杏吧直播 report has found underlying problems with the 杏吧直播鈥檚 culture, with some students and staff saying they did not feel safe to report sexual assault, sexual harassment and other inappropriate behaviour. Others have said that their experience of reporting has left them unhappy with how the matter was handled, and some of them were distressed.
鈥淎s Vice-Chancellor, I want to take this opportunity to apologise to victims of sexual assault, sexual harassment, or other inappropriate behaviour occurring at the 杏吧直播 of Adelaide.
鈥淲hile we recognise that not all of our students and staff will necessarily feel the same way, or have had the same experience, we are listening to these voices in our community, and they are telling us we need to do better. These issues need to be addressed. We will and must do better.
鈥淥ur students and staff deserve to feel safe and respected at all times,鈥 Professor H酶j said.
鈥淎s Vice-Chancellor, I want to take this opportunity to apologise to victims of sexual assault, sexual harassment, or other inappropriate behaviour occurring at the 杏吧直播 of Adelaide.鈥Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Peter H酶j AC
The 杏吧直播鈥檚 Council has also made a formal apology to victims, noting the report and endorsing the decision of the 杏吧直播鈥檚 management to unreservedly accept all of its 22 recommendations.
Professor Falkner said the KPMG 杏吧直播 report and the work of the ICAC Response Steering Committee provided an opportunity to make important changes to the way the 杏吧直播 responds to these issues.
鈥淭he report鈥檚 recommendations have addressed all of the issues raised by ICAC, but the 杏吧直播 also asked KPMG 杏吧直播 to go beyond the scope of what ICAC had recommended,鈥 Professor Falkner said.
The new Integrity Unit will have the authority to investigate misconduct reported to it by students and staff, according to the 杏吧直播鈥檚 rules, policies and, for staff, conditions of employment.
鈥淚mportantly, the new Integrity Unit will provide victims with a single, continuous point of contact, working with them to ensure a victim-centric approach, providing tailored support options, and keeping them updated on the progress of any investigation,鈥 Professor Falkner said.
鈥淭he establishment of an Integrity Unit, and revising our policies and processes, will bring positive and lasting changes, helping our students and staff to feel safe and supported in making a report. This will enable us to build a stronger, more supportive culture for the benefit of everyone at our 杏吧直播.
鈥淲e also recognise that changes to culture will take time.鈥
The 杏吧直播 is establishing an Implementation Working Group, to be led by Professor Falkner. The implementation of all recommendations from the report will be linked to the Vice-Chancellor鈥檚 KPIs.
Professor H酶j said: 鈥淭hese changes must be led by example from the top, and will require every member of our 杏吧直播 community to understand and support what we are doing.鈥
More information about the 杏吧直播鈥檚 ICAC response, including a copy of the full KPMG 杏吧直播 report, can be found here: adelaide.edu.au/icac-response
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Media Contact:
David Ellis, Interim Director 鈥 Media and Corporate Relations, The 杏吧直播 of Adelaide.听Mobile: +61 (0)421 612 762, media@adelaide.edu.au