ECU is committed to providing a challenging educational environment in which all members of its culturally and geographically diverse community can realise their potential. The needs of the students are our highest priority, and the University will seek continuously to improve the quality of its courses and services to students, ensuring matters of dispute between students and the University are resolved fairly and promptly.
Any member of the public can make a complaint to the University. A public complaint can also be made by any staff member or student whose complaint arises outside their employment or enrolment at the University.
We are committed to providing a safe and respectful learning and working environment for staff and students.
Please e-mail academicintegrity@ecu.edu.au including information you feel is relevant. The Academic Integrity Team will contact you if more information is required, unless you wish to remain anonymous.
If you are a member of staff please report the instance using the Academic Misconduct Online form.
Edith Cowan University is committed to identifying and addressing any risks of modern slavery in the University’s supply chain and operations. The Report Modern Slavery Concerns form can be used to notify the University of suspected modern slavery practices within the University’s supply chain or operations. All information provided will be treated as confidential.
At ECU we are committed to a safe learning and working environment. We have zero tolerance for sexual assault or harassment.
Request immediate police attendance and/or ambulance if needed.
ECU Security can be contacted at any time (day or night)
ECU Security will also follow up with other ECU support staff or Police and Emergency Services if required.
For more information, see the RESPECT.NOW.ALWAYS and Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment websites. Support is available from ECU and other organisations, no matter when or where the assault or harassment happened.
Please call +61 8 6304 3333 for immediate assistance in relation to any immediate security or emergency concerns.
If your situation is immediately life-threatening or urgent contact emergency services at any time (day or night):
Otherwise, if you have any concerns about your safety or the wellbeing of any person then please report them to our incident management team using our online incident report form.
Please provide any information you feel is relevant and we will get back to you unless you submit this report anonymously. This form can be used to report general misconduct by students of Edith Cowan University (ECU) for ECU to investigate under its rules and policies.
We place the highest priority on creating and providing a safe and healthy working environment for all students.
The University Health and Safety team are responsible for the University’s Health and Safety Policy. They also provide guidance on hazard identification, ergonomics and other risk-related issues.
A short Safety Induction Presentation has been developed for students covering basic safety information related to Emergency Response, Hazard/Incident Reporting and Support Services.
ECU schools also have their own health and safety guidelines, specific to their study and research activities.
Staff are responsible for reporting any incident involving a staff member, student, contractor or visitor. This must be reported to your supervisor as soon as practical and recorded using the online incident report form. It is the responsibility of the supervisor to communicate the incident further as required within the School or Service Centre if medical treatment beyond first aid was required, or if the supervisor deems the incident to be significant.
Students wishing to lodge a result appeal, academic progression status review, or an appeal to the Student Appeals Committee should refer to the 'How to appeal' web page for steps and deadlines. Visit the student intranet for more information.
In the first instance, a student with a complaint should seek to resolve the complaint by talking directly with the staff member who provided the product or services. If it is inappropriate or not possible to contact the person most directly involved, the student may contact the relevant Senior Officer in the area concerned, for example, the Associate Dean, Unit Coordinator or lecturer of the School, or Manager or Director in the Service Centre.
Other areas within the University which may be of assistance are the ECU Guild or telephone ECU Enquiry Line: 134 328 or submit an enquiry
Access and Inclusion team provides a free, confidential service for students with a disability and/or medical condition, either permanent or temporary, which may affect various aspects of life at ECU.
We do encourage you to raise your complaint in the first instance with the person concerned and attempt to resolve the complaint informally. This is appropriate where you feel comfortable with making a direct approach. If you require assistance in raising your complaint informally, you can contact the Senior Complaints, Compliance and Integrity Advisor.
Should an informal resolution not be achievable, you may need to lodge a formal complaint. A formal complaint should contain as much information as possible which may be of assistance when investigating the complaint.
Within a community like ECU, comprising people with different life experiences, values, thoughts and ideas about how to do things, differences of opinion can arise. While we should all exercise tolerance of these differences, sometimes things happen that require some form of action. We encourage staff to resolve work-related concerns or disagreements at the local level and participate in processes with the aim of constructively discussing and working towards resolving any perceived or real work-related concern.
If you have a workplace concern you can seek further information and advice from:
We encourage staff to resolve work-related concerns or disagreements at the local level and participate in processes with the aim of constructively discussing and working towards resolving any perceived or real work-related concern. Concerns related to a work matter or the working environment should first be raised with your line manager so it can be addressed and resolved in a prompt manner.
Grievance procedures are prescribed within the Enterprise Agreement and supported by policy and guidelines. If a grievance relates to a matter involving allegations of inappropriate conduct, further policy or processes may be relevant as outlined below.
In Australia, all researchers and research students are required to comply with The Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research (the Code). The Code sets out the principles that characterise an honest, ethical and conscientious research culture that facilitate high quality research and includes 13 responsibilities for institutions who have an obligation to encourage and support responsible research conduct. It also provides 16 responsibilities for researchers to uphold in all aspects of their research. Research conduct which fails to meet the principles and responsibilities of the Code may be defined as a breach.
The ‘Guide to Managing and Investigating Potential Breaches of the Australian Code for the Responsible Conduct of Research, 2018’, contains examples of breaches of the Code. You may lodge formal complaints of breaches of the Code through accessing the following link:
Students are expected to make use of our internal procedures before approaching external bodies with a complaint. Depending on the subject matter of the complaint, students may need to show that an internal, formal complaint process has been completed before an external agency will hear their complaint. Common external avenues of redress for complainants include the State Ombudsman and the Equal Opportunity Commission.
For more information on procedures relating to the receipt and resolution of public complaints, see the Complaints Policy.
If you are dissatisfied with the way the University has resolved your complaint, there are external agencies you may wish to contact in respect of your complaint. These include:
Employees with grievances or allegations of corruption have the right to approach external bodies such as the:
