Report an incident
If you encounter inappropriate, concerning or threatening behaviour, you can report the incident online to Safer Community. Reports can be made anonymously.
Report now
Report an incident online or email safercommunity@swinburne.edu.au.
Report inappropriate, concerning or threatening behaviour
How to report
If you or someone you know is hurt or in immediate danger, call for help.
- Emergency services on 000
- Swinburne Security on +61 3 9214 3333
If you, or someone you know at Swinburne, is affected by inappropriate, concerning or threatening behaviour you can report it online. You’ll receive advice and support, and can choose to report anonymously. You can also contact Safer Community via safercommunity@swinburne.edu.au.
Provide as much information as you feel comfortable. The more information you provide (i.e. who, what, where and when), the more fully Safer Community can investigate.
After you report
Safer Community will assess the information you provide in your report and determine the most appropriate response. The response may include:
- gathering additional information and conducting further investigations
- contacting you for more information or to provide an update
- developing an action plan to support impacted persons and manage further risks
- making contact with the person in question
- providing referrals to internal or external specialist support services upon consent from the impacted parties
- providing recommendations for misconduct sanctions
- recording the information.
Your privacy and confidentiality
- All information including your contact details will be kept confidential..
- In exceptional circumstances, confidentiality may be broken. This may occur in situations where Safer Community staff believes you to be a direct danger to yourself or others.
- You may report anonymously, but you will not receive any update on your report. It’s important to note that it is difficult to verify or investigate anonymous reports as gathering all the information that may be required is challenging.
- Safer Community values your privacy.
- This is how we manage your personal and health information.
Common questions
Safer Community will work with you to identify the specific support you need. This may include connecting you with counselling support and putting a risk management plan in place to ensure your safety. . We can also connect you with additional services such as disability support, student advocacy and accommodation support.
When you report sexual assault or sexual harassment, we will outline your rights and the options available to you, including reporting to the police.
We will respect your privacy and how you want to deal with the matter. If we believe there is a risk to the broader community, we may need to use the specific information you provide to protect others. At all times, we will inform you how we use the information you provide.
Yes. You can make a complaint about any inappropriate, concerning or threatening behaviour you experience or witness at any time.
We'll investigate the matter. Swinburne can’t make decisions about whether a crime has occurred, but we can investigate whether university policies have been breached. We must ensure the investigation doesn't jeopardise any criminal investigation that takes place.
The person investigating the matter will probably need to talk to you. You can bring a support person with you to any meeting you are asked to attend.
Under the Student General Misconduct Regulations, Swinburne has the authority to issue sanctions when there is a finding of misconduct.
No. You aren't required to make a formal complaint.
We can talk to you about your options and refer you to services that can provide you with further support.
If you're 18 or over, the university can't report the matter to police on your behalf. If you decide to report the incident to the police, we can support you. The police have specialist staff who are trained to deal with reports of sexual offences.
If you're under 18 years of age, Swinburne must report allegations of sexual misconduct to the police.
Want to report an incident?
If you, or someone you know, is experiencing inappropriate, concerning or threatening behaviour, Safer Community wants to know.
Report an incident online or email safercommunity@swinburne.edu.au.