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Equity, Inclusion and Respect Policy

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Purpose | Scope | Principles | Policy statements | Roles and responsibilities  | Definitions | Approval information | Version history | References

1. Purpose

1.1 The Equity, Inclusion and Respect Policy (the policy) outlines the social, ethical and behavioural standards expected at UTS as part of our core values under the UTS 2027 strategy. 

1.2 In seeking to ensure diversity, fairness, social justice and the ethical treatment of others, this policy addresses:

  1. equal opportunity and equity
  2. diversity and inclusion in educational and workplace environments
  3. discrimination, bullying and harassment.

2. Scope

2.1 This policy applies to all staff, students, affiliates and visitors to the university (collectively the UTS community). Any references to staff in this policy should be understood to mean both staff and affiliates. 

2.2 This policy is in addition to the requirements of the Student Rules, the Code of Conduct and the Student Rights and Responsibilities Policy.

3. Principles

3.1 As a public purpose institution, UTS is committed to driving social change (including sustainability practices in line with the Sustainability Policy) within and beyond our campus. 

3.2 UTS is committed to: 

  1. building an inclusive culture where the principles of diversity and inclusion are integrated into our everyday activities and processes.
  2. providing an environment that fosters equality and fairness; respecting and valuing diversity as an asset to the university and the wider community (refer Accessibility and Inclusion Policy)
  3. equal educational and employment opportunities via clear and transparent selection, progression, assessment and promotion processes, and
  4. meeting its compliance requirements in relation to modern slavery (refer Eradicating modern slavery).

3.3 The UTS community must uphold the university's organisational values and standards in accordance with this policy, the Code of Conduct, the Student Rights and Responsibilities Policy and related UTS rules and policies. All UTS community interactions whether virtual, digital, in person and/or via social media must be respectful and abide by the expectations outlined in this policy.

3.4 UTS is a secular and non-political organisation. UTS reserves the right to express its values and principles in its vision, strategic initiatives and wider UTS 2027 strategy. UTS does not tolerate hate advocacy.

3.5 UTS supports and encourages rational and rigorous research, discussion, critical enquiry and public discourse in a respectful, open-minded and generous spirit. This is underpinned by the university’s commitment to free enquiry and the pivotal importance of the pursuit of knowledge.

3.6 UTS acknowledges that historic and ongoing disadvantage has created barriers to access and progression for some groups in the community. UTS will work to become part of the solution to this inequality. UTS will work to reach its equity and diversity targets and its social and community responsibilities.

3.7 UTS has a zero tolerance commitment to sexual harm as outlined in the Sexual Harm Prevention and Response Policy. Further information on reporting incidents of sexual harm and support for people who have experienced sexual harm is available at Our commitment to a campus free of sexual harm. All staff and students must complete Consent Matters training (refer Rule 3.2.5).

4. Policy statements

Standards of behaviour

4.1 The UTS community will contribute to a productive, ethical, safe and equitable campus and learning environment by:

  1. recognising their individual role in contributing to and maintaining a respectful and inclusive culture
  2. acting with integrity at all times 
  3. treating others fairly, with dignity and respect and without discrimination
  4. avoiding any behaviour that could constitute bullying, harassment or vilification
  5. attempting to resolve any issues of concern as early as possible in a respectful and courteous way
  6. seeking advice if they do not understand any aspect of this policy, and
  7. reporting any behaviour that is in breach of this policy.

Freedom of expression — rights and responsibilities

4.2 The UTS community is free to express and discuss political, religious, cultural and related beliefs and ideas in accordance with relevant legislation and the Academic Freedom and Freedom of Expression Policy.

4.3 UTS requires that personal views and beliefs expressed by UTS community members be identified as such and not represented as the views of the university. UTS does not implicitly or explicitly make any endorsement by permitting the expression of these beliefs. 

4.4 The UTS community is expected to use social media appropriately and responsibly, consistent with the expectations and requirements contained in legislation and university rules and policies.

4.5 UTS reserves the right to exercise control over material disseminated through UTS outlets (including websites, emails, publications or public displays) if judged to be in breach of this policy.

Equality, equity and inclusion

4.6 UTS will take a proactive approach to equality and equal opportunity by establishing programs to:

  1. provide access to under-represented equity target groups to improve education and employment representation 
  2. promote work practices that support the needs of all staff, recognising the value of a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives
  3. provide a learning environment in which teaching materials, learning activities, learning spaces and assessments are accessible for all students
  4. identify students who are at risk and provide additional supports where possible (refer Support for Students Policy)
  5. promote work and study practices that recognise and value a diversity of backgrounds and perspectives
  6. promote diversity on university employment, assessment, review and disciplinary panels
  7. promote the university’s values and expectations of behaviour through policy, procedure and practice, and
  8. monitor and report on equity performance against identified priorities and legislative requirements.

Discrimination, vilification, victimisation, bullying and harassment

4.7 Discrimination occurs when a person is treated less favourably than another person or group because of characteristics (or combinations of characteristics), including but not limited to:

  1. age
  2. pregnancy, potential pregnancy or breastfeeding
  3. family or carer responsibilities
  4. disability or impairment
  5. political or religious beliefs
  6. marital or relationship status
  7. race, colour, descent, nationality, ethnic, ethno-religious or national origin, and/or
  8. sex, gender, sexual orientation or preference or transgender status.

4.8 UTS will consult with students and staff with disabilities who may require adjustments and, where possible and reasonable, make such adjustments to facilitate equitable access and learning in line with the Accessibility and Inclusion Policy.

4.9 UTS will address identified incidents of discrimination, vilification, victimisation, bullying and harassment on grounds specified under relevant state and federal anti-discrimination, workplace, and work health and safety legislation.

4.10 Bullying behaviour, as defined in this policy, can be manifested verbally, physically and/or through body language and can take the form of action or lack of action. Examples of bullying behaviour may include:

  1. abusive, insulting or offensive language or comments
  2. aggressive and intimidating conduct
  3. belittling or humiliating comments
  4. being subjected to practical jokes
  5. unjustified criticism
  6. deliberately excluding or isolating staff, students or other members of the university community.

4.11 Under work health and safety legislation, all UTS staff must take reasonable care to ensure that their behaviour does not adversely affect the health and safety of others in the workplace or while undertaking work activities, irrespective of the location (refer Health, Safety and Wellbeing Policy). Information on other work hazards that impact a person’s wellbeing, including work-related violence, is available at Psychosocial hazards.

Appropriate personal relationships and conflicts of interest

4.12 High professional and ethical standards are essential to the pursuit of good practice in university teaching, learning and research. 

4.13 UTS recognises that there is an inherent imbalance of power between staff and students and, often, between staff members. While UTS does not normally intervene in consensual personal relationships between adults, relationships between colleagues, or between staff and students, are a conflict of interest (refer Conflicts of Interest Disclosure Policy) with the potential to cause harm, particularly when a power imbalance is present. 

4.14 Staff and affiliates must not engage in any sexual or romantic relationships with any person:

  1. that they directly supervise (for example, current manager or supervisor, lecturer, tutor, demonstrator, research supervisor and/or member of a graduate research supervision panel)
  2. over who, on behalf of UTS, they have oversight in any capacity (for example, any influence or input over academic and/or professional outcomes or progression, decision-making, scholarships, funding or visa status), or
  3. who is under the age of 18.

4.15 Further to statement 4.14,  sexual or romantic relationships between staff and students are strongly discouraged particularly where they have the potential to:

  1. harm the learning and research experience of the student
  2. harm the learning and research environment for other students, and/or
  3. compromise the academic integrity of all parties, including UTS.

4.16 All personal relationships, including sexual or romantic relationships, are a conflict of interest. Staff and affiliates must disclose any personal relationships as a conflict of interest as soon as they arise (refer Conflicts of Interest Disclosure Policy). Failure to declare/disclose these conflicts is a breach of this policy and the Code of Conduct.

4.17 In addition to this policy, and the Graduate Research and Supervision Policy, staff and graduate research students must read and follow the advice of the Universities Australia: Principles for respectful supervisory relationships (available at Universities Australia: Respect.Now.Always.).

4.18 Any issues of harassment that may arise, including those that are a result of an imbalance of power, are managed as a breach of this policy.

Complaints and policy breaches

4.19 Students who wish to make a complaint against the university, its staff or its students should do so in line with the Student Complaints Policy. Staff who wish to make a complaint should refer to the Staff Complaints Policy.

4.20 UTS may take action against those who are found to have been in breach of this policy, under the applicable Enterprise agreements and the Code of Conduct or section 16, Student Rules, as appropriate.

4.21 Breaches of this policy that constitute unlawful behaviour under state and/or federal legislation may be referred to the relevant external authority for management and may result in criminal prosecution.

4.22 UTS reserves the right to undertake its own investigation (on the basis of a balance of probabilities) in addition to any external criminal or civil proceedings. The exception to this statement is where any criminal proceedings specifically require the university to suspend any ongoing internal investigation. The result of any internal investigation will be independent of external investigations.

4.23 UTS may take steps, as necessary, to dissociate itself from the actions, statements and claims of any person or group that are inconsistent with the provisions of this policy, and other UTS policies, rules and values.

Support and advice

4.24 Staff experiencing any form of bullying, harassment or discrimination should consult the Complaints portal (SharePoint) and refer the matter to their immediate supervisor in the first instance (where possible). Staff may also seek confidential information and advice from the Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion, the People Unit or any relevant external agency.

4.25 Support for students is available from the: 

  1. Student Complaints Resolution Office, for students who wish to make a complaint (refer also Student Complaints Policy) 
  2. Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion, for support and guidance relating to inclusion, accessibility, diversity, discrimination and harassment (refer Diversity and inclusion) 
  3. Student Services Unit, for counselling, medical advice and other health supports (refer Support), and 
  4. Students’ Association, for advice and advocacy for students.

5. Roles and responsibilities

5.1 Policy owner: The Provost is responsible for policy enforcement and compliance, ensuring that its principles and statements are observed. The Provost is also responsible for approval of any associated university-level procedures and any training associated with this policy.

5.2 Policy contact: The Executive Director, People and Culture and the Director, Equity, Diversity and Inclusion (Centre for Social Justice and Inclusion) act as the primary points of contact for advice on implementing the provisions outlined in this policy, including:

  1. providing advice to the university on meeting key equity targets and equity-related opportunity obligations under federal and state legislation
  2. directing students to the Student Complaints Policy for the management and resolution of equity-related complaints
  3. working with the university's relevant units and committees to monitor and report on UTS’s equity performance under relevant state and federal legislation
  4. recommending, developing and/or implementing educational programs, awareness campaigns and inclusion initiatives, and
  5. providing advice and guidance on local-level initiatives to enhance equity, diversity and inclusion and, where required, by providing committee representatives.

6. Definitions

These definitions apply for this policy and all associated procedures. They are in addition to the definitions outlined in section 16, Student Rules and Schedule 1, Student Rules. Definitions in the singular also include the plural meaning of the word.

Affiliate is defined in the Code of Conduct.

Bullying means repeated and unreasonable behaviour (intimidation, undermining and humiliation) directed towards an individual or group of individuals in a manner that creates a risk to the health, wellbeing and/or safety of the individual or community. Standard performance evaluation and reasonable management actions and requirements are not considered a form of bullying.

Discrimination means bias, unjust or prejudicial treatment of individuals or groups on the basis of certain characteristics or grounds. UTS acknowledges that discrimination can be direct (treating people less favourably because of physical characteristics or group associations, for example) or indirect (where a practice or policy gives the appearance of neutrality, but unreasonably impacts or disadvantages a particular group of people) or a combination of any of the above. UTS also acknowledges a commitment to certain requirements under governing bodies, regulations or other reasonable authorities (for example, AHPRA regulations).

Equity target groups at UTS include but are not limited to:

  1. students from low socioeconomic status (low SES) backgrounds
  2. students with a disability
  3. students from non-English speaking backgrounds
  4. students from rural or isolated areas
  5. women in non-traditional areas of study, and
  6. Indigenous Australians.

Equity strategies at UTS may also target people with disability or accessibility requirements, people from identified cultural groups, members of the LGBTIQ+ community and women in fields or at levels of seniority where they are under-represented.

Harassment is a form of discrimination and means any unwelcome, offensive, abusive, belittling, inappropriate or threatening behaviour that humiliates, offends or intimidates another person or group of people on the basis of race, religion, nationality, gender or gender status, sexual orientation or any other grounds specified under anti-discrimination legislation. Harassment can occur in any setting, interaction, forum or media. This is in addition to and consistent with the definitions outlined in the Sexual Harm Prevention and Response Policy.

Inclusive culture means a meaningful, supportive, welcoming and engaging environment for all staff, students, affiliates and visitors in order to facilitate equitable access and successful participation in their work and study.

Integrity is defined in the Academic Integrity Policy.

Psychosocial hazard is defined in the Health, Safety and Wellbeing Policy.

Staff is defined in the Code of Conduct.

Student is defined in Schedule 1, Student Rules. For the purposes of this policy, a student also includes a person who has:

  1. recently completed the requirements of the course
  2. withdrawn from the course
  3. withdrawn temporarily from the course for a period of at least one semester through approved leave of absence
  4. no active enrolment in subjects or in time-based study in a particular semester, or
  5. been excluded from the course or the university, in line with the UTS Rules, in the last semester.

Victimisation means subjecting or threatening to subject a person to some form of detriment because they have:

  1. lodged or proposed to lodge a complaint of discrimination or harassment
  2. provided information or documents to an internal investigation or an external agency
  3. attended a conciliation conference
  4. reasonably asserted their rights, or supported someone else’s rights, under federal anti-discrimination laws
  5. alleged that a person has acted unlawfully under federal anti-discrimination laws.

Vilification means the public incitement of hatred, contempt or ridicule of another person on the basis of certain characteristics or grounds.