Reframing GBV as a Work Health and Safety (WHS) and business concern — not just a personal or HR problem.
🌅 Imagine this: A Campus Meeting That Changed Everything
It started as a routine leadership meeting on a mild autumn morning at a university in Sydney.
The agenda was packed: budgets, enrolment numbers, and upcoming campus upgrades. Toward the end of the meeting, someone raised a new item — the National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence. A few heads turned. Some nodded politely. Others glanced at their watches.
The Vice-Chancellor paused.
“This isn’t just a compliance matter,” she said. “This is about the safety of our students, our staff, and our entire community. If we don’t address gender-based violence as a workplace issue, we fail in our duty of care.”
In that moment, the energy shifted. What had been seen as a “HR initiative” suddenly became everyone’s responsibility.
This scene is playing out across Australia — not only in universities but in workplaces large and small. Gender-based violence (GBV) is no longer being treated as a side issue. It’s being recognised for what it truly is: a serious Work Health and Safety (WHS) concern, a compliance issue, a cultural issue, and ultimately, a business issue.
📚 Understanding GBV in the Australian Context
Gender-based violence includes a spectrum of harmful behaviours — from sexual harassment and assault to stalking, coercion, and controlling behaviours — directed at individuals based on their gender, gender identity, or perceived gender. It is rooted in power imbalances and reinforced by cultural norms, systemic inequalities, and social attitudes.
For years, GBV was treated as something personal — something that happened “outside work”, or in HR offices behind closed doors. But this view ignores the simple reality: workplaces are social environments, and power, gender, and behaviour don’t stop at the office door.
Recent Australian data underscores this point:
- The 2023 Australian Human Rights Commission Respect@Work report found that 1 in 3 Australian workers experienced sexual harassment in the past five years, with higher rates among younger workers and women.
- In tertiary education, incidents of sexual assault and harassment remain deeply concerning. The National Student Safety Survey (NSSS) revealed that 1 in 5 students have experienced sexual harassment since starting university, and 1 in 20 have experienced sexual assault.
- The impacts are profound: survivors often experience reduced performance, absenteeism, psychological injury, and career derailment. For employers, the consequences include WHS breaches, legal liability, reputational damage, and a toxic workplace culture.
In response to mounting evidence and public pressure, the Australian Government has introduced significant reforms. Among the most important is the Proposed National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence (2025) — a landmark framework designed to set clear, enforceable expectations for universities and higher education providers.
🧭 Why GBV Is a Workplace Issue — Not Just “Personal”
To truly understand why GBV must be treated as a workplace issue, it’s useful to look at it through three lenses: Work Health and Safety (WHS), organisational culture, and business and compliance.
1. The WHS Lens: Duty of Care
Under Australian WHS laws, employers have a legal duty to ensure the health and safety of workers, students, contractors, and visitors so far as is reasonably practicable. This includes physical and psychological health.
Gender-based violence, whether it occurs on campus, online, or in workplace-adjacent settings, can create significant health and safety risks. Failure to address these risks can lead to regulatory investigations and enforcement action. Safe Work Australia’s guidance is increasingly explicit: sexual harassment and related behaviours are hazards that must be managed like any other workplace risk.
In other words, ignoring GBV is not just negligent — it’s potentially unlawful.
2. The Cultural Lens: Norms and Power Dynamics
Workplaces are microcosms of society. If a workplace culture tolerates “jokes”, dismisses complaints, or fails to protect vulnerable individuals, it signals to everyone that such behaviour is acceptable. This is how small issues become systemic problems.
Universities, with their unique blend of staff, students, academics, and social life, are particularly complex environments. Power differentials — between staff and students, senior academics and early-career researchers, domestic and international students — can create fertile ground for harm if not proactively addressed.
Changing culture isn’t quick, but it starts with leadership signalling that GBV is everyone’s business, not something delegated to a diversity officer or a complaint inbox.
3. The Business Lens: Reputation, Risk, and Compliance
Beyond legal obligations, there are real reputational stakes. In the era of social media, a single mishandled case can trigger national headlines within hours. Australian universities have faced Royal Commission scrutiny, Senate inquiries, and student-led protests over their responses to sexual violence.
Organisations that act decisively can strengthen trust, attract talent, and position themselves as leaders in safety and respect. Those that delay or downplay the issue risk regulatory sanctions, student attrition, staff turnover, and lasting reputational harm.
🇦🇺 The National Higher Education Code: A Turning Point
The Proposed National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence (2025) represents a historic shift in how Australian universities must address GBV. Developed by the Department of Education in consultation with survivors, experts, and sector leaders, the Code aims to:
- Establish minimum standards for prevention, response, governance, and reporting.
- Create clear accountability for university leadership and governance bodies.
- Require regular public reporting on GBV data, initiatives, and outcomes.
- Embed survivor-centred and trauma-informed approaches.
- Align with existing WHS and anti-discrimination obligations.
Importantly, the Code doesn’t treat GBV as an isolated HR function. It embeds GBV prevention and response into the core governance structures of universities — from councils and senates to executive teams and faculties.
This is where the cultural and WHS lenses intersect with compliance. Universities must now demonstrate that they are taking proactive, systemic action — not simply reacting when something goes wrong.
🎓 Case Study: A University That Made the Shift
To illustrate what this shift looks like in practice, let’s return to the fictionalised university from the opening story — inspired by several real Australian institutions.
After that pivotal leadership meeting, the university took several decisive steps:
- Leadership Commitment
The Vice-Chancellor issued a campus-wide statement recognising GBV as a WHS and cultural issue. A new GBV Prevention and Response Steering Committee was established, chaired by a Deputy Vice-Chancellor, with student and staff representation. - Embedding GBV in Risk Management
The university’s WHS risk register was updated to include sexual harassment and gender-based violence as critical psychosocial hazards. Controls were identified and monitored through existing WHS governance pathways, not siloed in HR. - Training and Capacity Building
Mandatory training was rolled out for senior leaders, line managers, and residential advisors, focusing on legal obligations, trauma-informed responses, and bystander intervention. - Survivor-Centred Reporting Pathways
New confidential reporting channels were established, including anonymous options. Survivors could choose their preferred response pathway (e.g., informal, formal, safety planning) without losing control of their story. - Public Accountability
The university committed to annual public reporting on GBV data and initiatives. They also joined a national benchmarking initiative to measure progress.
The results were significant. Within 18 months, reporting rates increased (a sign of greater trust), staff engagement scores improved, and external regulators praised the university’s proactive approach.
This kind of systemic response is what the new National Code expects — and what students, staff, and communities deserve.
🧠 Common Misconceptions to Challenge
As organisations grapple with GBV, several myths persist. Addressing these head-on is crucial.
❌ “GBV isn’t our responsibility if it happens off campus.”
Reality: Harmful behaviours often occur in grey zones — at events, online, or between people connected through work or study. If it affects someone’s health and safety at work or study, it’s relevant.
❌ “This is an HR issue, not a leadership one.”
Reality: Leadership sets the tone. If senior executives aren’t visibly engaged, initiatives falter. GBV prevention requires governance, strategy, and resource allocation — all leadership functions.
❌ “We don’t have a problem here.”
Reality: Silence doesn’t mean absence. Underreporting is common due to fear, stigma, and distrust. Creating safe reporting environments usually increases reports initially — that’s progress, not proof of failure.
❌ “This will be too costly.”
Reality: The costs of inaction — legal claims, staff turnover, reputational damage — far exceed the investment required for prevention and early intervention.
🧰 Practical Steps for Organisations
For leaders and managers wondering where to start, here are some low-barrier actions that can build momentum:
- Acknowledge GBV as a Workplace Issue Publicly
A statement from leadership reframing GBV as a WHS and cultural issue sets a powerful tone. - Review Risk Registers and Policies
Integrate sexual harassment and GBV into WHS frameworks. Ensure policies are survivor-centred, clear, and accessible. - Train Leaders and Key Staff
Focus on practical skills: responding to disclosures, understanding legal duties, and recognising psychosocial hazards. - Establish Safe Reporting Pathways
Multiple, confidential, and culturally safe reporting channels increase trust and early intervention. - Engage Students and Staff
Co-design initiatives with the community. Survivor-informed practice builds legitimacy and impact. - Benchmark and Report
Regular public reporting demonstrates accountability and drives continuous improvement.
🌍 The Broader Impact: Changing Systems, Not Just Responses
Addressing GBV as a workplace issue isn’t just about compliance. It’s about shifting power structures, norms, and behaviours.
Universities play a unique role as both workplaces and learning environments. When they model leadership in GBV prevention, they influence thousands of future professionals, shaping workplace cultures far beyond the campus gates.
Similarly, when businesses embed GBV prevention in their WHS frameworks, they signal that respect and safety are non-negotiable values — not afterthoughts.
The journey isn’t easy. It requires humility, listening to survivors, confronting uncomfortable truths, and sustained leadership. But the alternative — maintaining the status quo — is unacceptable.
📝 A Call to Leadership
Gender-based violence is not a side issue. It’s a core workplace safety, governance, and cultural priority.
The National Higher Education Code (2025) is a powerful catalyst, but compliance alone is not the endgame. The real goal is to create workplaces and campuses where everyone — regardless of gender, background, or identity — can learn, work, and thrive without fear.
As the Vice-Chancellor said in that Sydney boardroom:
“If we don’t address gender-based violence as a workplace issue, we fail in our duty of care.”
The question for every organisation now is: Will you lead, or will you lag?
