Training and learning
Available to all staff
Staff can access training in Discover. Other courses that support creating safe and respectful communities and workplaces include:
- ALLY Training
- Accidental Counsellor
- Cultural Capability
- Disability Confidence Training
- eSafety – Take Control Online
- Mental Health First Aid Training
- Respect and Resilience
- Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Violence
- SBS Cultural Competence Program
- Understanding Gender Equality
- Understanding the LGBTIQ+ Community
ALLY Training
This 6.5 Hour session includes ACON's 4 Hour LGBTQ Awareness Training Package along with a better understanding of our commitment to our ALLYship of broader LGBTIQA+ communities together with University Specific Case Scenario's and a Panel.
This in-person training will introduce you to the acronyms and expand your understanding of sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, and sex characteristics and insight into experiences of staff and students.
Accidental Counsellor
The Accidental Counsellor course aims to provide essential counselling skills and knowledge to individuals who may find themselves in a supportive role for others, even though they aren't professional counsellors. The course covers active listening, providing emotional support, recognizing signs of distress, and referring individuals to appropriate professional help. It's designed to equip individuals with the tools to provide initial support and guide them on when and how to refer someone to a mental health professional.
Cultural Capability
Cultural Capability is the understanding of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander cultures and their histories, and the integration of those cultures into work practices.
Cultural Capability adds value to the ways we conduct our business here at the University of Newcastle. It involves all staff and students and impacts how we operate as an institution.
Disability Confidence Training
From this training, you will:
- Gain an improved understanding of disability and modern perspectives
- Learn practical strategies for supporting students with disability
- Develop awareness of how to be a great ally to colleagues with disability
- Understand how to create accessible and inclusive environments, activities and communication
eSafety – Take Control Online
Safe access to technology is crucial for women so they can stay connected to their family and friends, engage with the world and get information and support. The eSafety Commissioner’s eSafetyWomen team has developed a two-hour technology facilitated abuse workshop for frontline specialist staff and support workers in the domestic and family violence field.
Mental Health First Aid Training
In this course you will learn about the signs and symptoms of common and disabling mental health problems in adults, how to provide initial help, where and how to get professional help, and how to provide mental health first aid in a crisis situation using a practical, evidence-based action plan.
Respect and Resilience
icare in collaboration with the University of Newcastle’s Health and Safety Team invites you to participate in the Respect & Resilience course. As businesses including the University face multiple challenges to operate in today’s environment, frontline workers interfacing with customers are often presented with unique health and safety hazards. Whilst we know customer misbehaviour can be caused by several factors, including environmental, organisational as well as the customer themselves; this course focuses on how we can influence the interaction between the frontline worker and the customer. The course includes how to:
- Reduce the incidence of customer misbehaviour through early detection and awareness,
- Apply strategies to get a customer on side,
- Enhance skills to contain or de-escalate customer misbehaviour,
- Better cope if exposed to customer aggression.
Responding to Disclosures of Sexual Violence
UON in partnership with Epigeum and leading experts across the UK and Australia has developed this online course to support staff and student leaders in responding to disclosures of sexual violence.
This course is designed to help staff understand consent, and some of the common misconceptions around sexual violence. It identifies the needs of the reporting individual and how to best support them. Additionally, it covers best practices for handling a disclosure, including the responsibilities of the staff member and how to handle the disclosure in line with institutional policies.
SBS Cultural Competence Program
Interact with different cultures meaningfully at both an organisational and a personal level.
Understanding Gender Equality
The Gender course is designed to improve your understanding of gender equality in the workplace.
Drawing on the research and experience of organisations within Male Champions of Change and the University of Queensland, the course provides tools and information to encourage the conditions and cultures that will enable women to thrive in the workplace.
Understanding the LGBTIQ+ Community
The LGBTIQ+ course is designed to improve your understanding of the LGBTIQ+ community. It also provides tools to apply your knowledge to promote a fairer, more LGBTIQ+ inclusive society.
Available to all students
Consent Matters
Consent Matters
Consent Matters is an online module available to all students in Canvas. Consent Matters provides up-to-date education around understanding and seeking sexual consent; skills for communication to support safe and respectful relationships; and ways to safely intervene in situations where sexual harassment or sexual assault may occur.
Go to course Find out more about consent
Respect at Uni Peer Leaders
Respect at Uni Peer Leaders
Our Respect at Uni Peer Leaders are a dedicated group of students committed to helping create a safe, inclusive, and respectful campus community. Trained in key areas such as consent, respectful relationships, and bystander intervention, they work to raise awareness and provide opportunities for engagement, conversation and learning with their peers.
Keep an eye out for the Respect at Uni Peer Leaders on campus. They want to hear your ideas on how we can all contribute to a safe and positive uni culture.
Respect at Uni Resource Hub
Beyond the stereotypes: rethinking masculinity
Gender-based violence (GBV) is deeply connected to rigid and outdated gender stereotypes that reinforce power imbalances, limit individual expression, and normalise harm.
When we challenge these stereotypes—such as the expectation that men must always be dominant or that women should be passive—we create space for healthier, more respectful relationships.
Preventing GBV begins with rethinking the messages we’ve inherited about gender and calling out harmful behaviour.
The Line is a great resource for young people with a bunch of content about sex, dating and relationships
Ziggy Ramo- 'There is no one way to be a man'
The Line Ambassador Ziggy Ramo says we have to un-learn what society tells us how men have to be.
Why talking about masculinity matters
Why talk about masculinity?
Why do we talk about masculinity when we talk about gender-based violence?
When we talk about gender-based violence (GBV), we need to explore how outdated versions of masculinity contribute to harmful behaviours and attitudes. This conversation isn’t about shaming men, but rather understanding how rigid gender expectations can affect everyone, regardless of gender.
The harmful impact of outdated masculinity
Traditional ideas of masculinity often prioritise dominance, emotional suppression, and aggression. These outdated notions can be harmful to people of all genders. For women, non-binary people, and those assigned female at birth, these harmful norms contribute to violence and discrimination. We also know that these norms can harm men.
How are men affected?
Men who feel pressured to live up to outdated ideals of masculinity often struggle with their mental health. In fact, statistics show that men are more likely to self-harm and experience mental health issues. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics (2020), men account for around 75% of all suicides.
These traditional gender roles discourage men from seeking help or expressing vulnerability, leading to isolation and worsening mental health. The idea that “real men don’t cry” or “real men don’t show weakness” creates a harmful stigma that prevents many men from talking about their struggles.
The power of positive modern masculinity
A key part of changing this narrative is embracing positive modern masculinity—a way of being a man that values emotional expression, vulnerability, empathy, and equality. Healthy masculinity doesn’t require aggression or dominance. Instead, it encourages men to live with kindness, self-awareness, and respect for others.
Men who adopt these healthier, more inclusive versions of masculinity benefit, too. Research shows that men who embrace positive masculinity have better mental health outcomes, stronger relationships, and a greater sense of emotional fulfilment .
Redefining strength
Men often feel like they need to be strong but what does this really mean? By redefining what it means to be strong, we can create an environment where everyone feels safe and supported. Strength isn’t about power over others—it’s about respecting ourselves and those around us, showing compassion, and building relationships and communities based on equality and justice.
GBV - what's under the surface?
What is gender-based violence?
Gender-based violence (GBV) is called this because it is violence that is rooted in and reinforced by gender inequalities, power imbalances, and societal norms about gender roles. Research shows that GBV disproportionately affects women and gender-diverse people due to systemic discrimination and unequal power dynamics.
For example, studies by the World Health Organization (WHO) and UN Women highlight that violence against women is often linked to cultural beliefs that normalise male dominance and female subordination. The term also includes violence against men when it occurs because of rigid gender expectations, such as homophobic attacks or violence against men who do not conform to traditional masculinity.
In short, GBV is not just about the gender of the victim but about how societal attitudes toward gender contribute to violence.
The Iceberg of Gender-Based Violence
Gender-based violence (GBV) is often represented as an iceberg, where the most visible forms—such as sexual assault, domestic violence, and murder—sit above the waterline. However, beneath the surface lies a much larger foundation of attitudes, beliefs, and behaviours that contribute to a culture where GBV can occur.
Gender-based violence is driven by gender inequality and harmful social norms. Everyday actions—like sexist jokes, victim-blaming, street harassment, and dismissing reports of violence—may seem minor, but they reinforce the conditions that allow more extreme forms of GBV to persist. This is why challenging disrespectful behaviours and promoting gender equality in all aspects of life is key to prevention.
At uni, we can help shift the culture by calling out harmful jokes, supporting victim-survivors, and advocating for gender equality in our classrooms, clubs, and social spaces. GBV isn’t just about what happens at the tip of the iceberg—it’s about what we tolerate below the surface.
What drives GBV?
Research shows that there are four factors that consistently predict or ‘drive’ violence against women.
Condoning of violence against women
When we support or condone violence against women, levels of violence are higher. Condoning violence against women occurs in many ways, such as when we justify, excuse or trivialise violence – ‘boys will be boys’ – or blame the victim – ‘what did she expect, going out dressed like that?’
Men’s control of decision-making and limits to women’s independence in public and private life
Violence is more common in relationships where men make all the decisions, feel they ‘own’ their partners or hold rigid ideas about how women should behave. In the public sphere, when women have less independence and power, this sends the message that women are less valuable or worthy of respect – making violence against them more likely.
Rigid gender stereotyping and dominant forms of masculinity
Gender stereotyping is when we promote the idea that there are natural or innate ways for women and men to behave – such as that men are naturally aggressive and dominant, and women are naturally passive and submissive.
This drives violence against women because it can result in punishment for women, men and people of other genders when they don’t conform to expected roles. It also contributes to the idea that men should have more power than women and others in public, and in their relationships.
Male peer relations and cultures of masculinity that emphasise aggression, dominance and control
Men’s relationships with other men can be a source of support and comfort for men. But, when they are used to promote aggression, dominance, control or ‘hypersexuality’ (through things like sexual boasting), they are associated with higher levels of violence against women.
Reference: Our Watch. (2021). Change the story: A shared framework for the primary prevention of violence against women in Australia. Retrieved from https://www.ourwatch.org.au
The Man Box
What is the 'Man Box'?
The "Man Box" refers to a set of traditional, rigid expectations about how men should behave. These expectations emphasise traits such as toughness, emotional restraint, dominance, and competitiveness. Society often encourages men to embody these qualities as the ideal standard for masculinity.
Impact of the Man Box
Research has shown that men who conform to these traditional ideals can experience a range of negative outcomes. These include higher levels of stress, mental health issues, and reduced well-being. The pressure to meet unrealistic standards can lead to harmful behaviours, such as emotional suppression and aggression.
Challenging the Man Box
To promote healthier masculinity, it's essential to challenge these limiting ideals. Encouraging men to express a wider range of emotions, seek help when needed, and engage in nurturing behaviours can lead to improved mental health and stronger relationships.
The Man Box research program further explores the impact of these societal expectations and advocates for a shift towards healthier, more flexible models of masculinity.
Are you part of the solution?
When it comes to gender-based violence we all play a role. With our actions we are part of creating a culture which contributes to the prevention of GBV, or perpetuating an environment which supports it.
Which side are you on?
| Perpetuating GBV | Preventing GBV |
|---|---|
| Sharing jokes, memes or group chat messages that degrade women or LGBTIQA+ people | Calling out disrespectful online behaviour and setting a positive tone in group chats. |
| Making assumptions about someone’s gender, sexual identity based on their appearance | Learning how to respectfully use pronouns |
| Dismissing someone’s experience of sexual violence or sexual harassment as 'not a big deal', or blaming them in some way for what they have experienced | Believing people when they tell you they have experienced sexual harm |
| Not saying or doing something when a friend keeps hitting on someone who’s clearly uninterested | Learning how to become an ethical bystander |
| Believing behaviour such as catcalling or persistent requests for dates are just "flattery." | Understanding the definition of sexual harassment |
| Believing that 'men are always up for it' | Discovering why gender stereotypes can be harmful to everyone |
| Not practising affirmative consent | Knowing what affirmative, enthusiastic consent is, and practicing it ALL THE TIME |
Lived Experience Expertise
The Lived Experience Student Consultants program brings together students who use their lived and living experiences to inform the University of Newcastle’s strategies for preventing gender-based violence.
These consultants provide valuable insights to ensure university policies, programs, and initiatives are survivor-centered and trauma-informed. Their work includes:
- Providing feedback on existing policies and programs to enhance support for survivors.
- Assisting in the creation of educational materials and resources that reflect real student experiences.
- Engaging in outreach activities to promote awareness and support within the university community.
- Evaluating respect and consent initiatives to improve their effectiveness and inclusivity.
By contributing their expertise, Lived Experience Student Consultants play a crucial role in shaping a safer, more supportive campus.
For more information or to collaborate contact respect@newcastle.edu.au
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.