Review into residential colleges at the University of New England

Review into residential colleges at the University of New England

In this period, Commissioner Jenkins released a review into the seven residential colleges at the University of New England (UNE). The Commission was engaged by UNE to undertake an independent review to develop a comprehensive understanding of the culture at each of the seven UNE colleges, specifically attitudes towards women, the factors that contribute to the risk of sexual assault and sexual harassment in UNE colleges, and barriers to reporting.

The review is an indicator of the impact of the Commission’s 2017 release of ‘Change the course: National report on sexual assault and sexual harassment at Australian universities’—as this report recommended that universities with residential colleges and university residences should commission an independent, expert-led review of the factors which contribute to sexual assault and sexual harassment in these settings.

Employing Older Workers 2018 research report

Employing Older Workers 2018 research report

One of Commissioner Patterson’s term goals is to implement recommendations relating to older workers from the Commission’s 2016 ‘Willing to Work’ report.

A major focus in this area is a collaboration with the Australian Human Resources Institute (AHRI) on older worker issues. In this period, the Employing Older Workers research report was published.

This report is based on a survey of over 900 AHRI members conducted July to August 2018. Similar surveys were conducted in 2012 and 2014 by AHRI in association with the Commission, which allows for longitudinal comparisons.

Key findings include that up to 30%of Australian employers were still reluctant to hire workers over a certain age, and for more than two-thirds of this group, that age was over 50. Despite this, the trend overall indicates an increase in respondents reporting ‘definitely no’ reluctance to employ older workers (28% in 2018, up from 8% in 2014).

Since its release, the report has been cited by media outlets and commentators.

It has increased awareness of discrimination towards older workers in the human resources community as well as in the wider community. AHRI have also advised us that it has had an impact on the practices of human resources professionals.

The Commission is using the results to inform future joint research with AHRI as well as the development of tailored training modules for use by human resources professionals, recruiters and line managers.