Bullying, Discrimination & Harassment
James Cook University expects that all Students, Staff and Affiliates who comprise the JCU Community are able to work, research, study, live and socialise in an environment that is based on inclusivity and respect, and free from Bullying, Discrimination, Harassment and Racism.
Bullying
Bullying refers to repeated, unreasonable behaviour that poses a risk to health and safety. This can include verbal abuse, exclusion, threats, and undermining someone’s work. Bullying behaviour is often persistent and may involve tactics intended to intimidate, humiliate, or degrade others, either in person or online. Importantly, it is distinguished from legitimate management actions taken to direct or correct staff performance.
Discrimination
Discrimination occurs when a person is treated unfairly based on characteristics like race, sex, sexual orientation, age, disability, religion, or cultural background. It can be direct—such as openly denying someone opportunities based on these attributes—or indirect, where policies or practices disadvantage certain groups without justification. Discrimination impacts individuals’ rights and opportunities, creating an inequitable environment.
Harassment
Harassment is unwelcome behaviour that targets an individual or group, creating an offensive or intimidating environment. This may include derogatory comments, offensive jokes, or displaying materials that belittle others based on their personal characteristics. Harassment differs from friendly interactions in that it is unwanted and makes the recipient feel unsafe, uncomfortable, or demeaned.
Racism
JCU's Codes of Conduct for staff and students define Racism as:
"Conduct, behaviour, or practices that express, reinforce, or perpetuate prejudice, hostility, stereotyping, exclusion, or discrimination against individuals or groups on the basis of race, colour, descent, national or ethnic origin, cultural background, or religion where the conduct is racialised. This includes forms of racism that target or marginalise people because of actual or perceived race-related attributes, including antisemitism, racism against Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, and other manifestations of racial or ethno-religious hostility, such as Islamophobia.
Racism may be expressed through individual actions, institutional practices, or systemic structures, whether deliberate or unconscious, and may be direct or indirect."
Finding support and making a complaint
Equity Contact Officers are available as one of the options for staff and students to contact regarding discrimination attributes and areas, including harassment and bullying queries and concerns. They provide information and referral options for both students and staff regarding both informal and formal resolution options.
An Equity Contact Officer will:
* Provide information to staff about the organisation’s policies and procedures related to discrimination, harassment and grievance resolution and where to access support or advice.
* Raise awareness within the workplace of the discrimination, harassment and grievance resolution procedures and the role of the Equity Contact Officer.
* Model positive behaviours and promote a discrimination free workplace.
* Provide confidential and timely statistical data to management to assist in the pro-active management and prevention of discrimination and harassment.
It is NOT the role of Equity Contact Officers to:
* Undertake the role of advocacy on behalf of any individual or group;
* Provide advice or opinions on matters of discrimination or harassment;
* Attempt to resolve or investigate complaints, take statements or talk to witnesses;
* Engage in counselling or any form of ongoing support for individuals or groups;
* Confront the alleged harasser whose behaviour has been reported as offensive;
* Take or keep written records of contact interviews unless the employee reports an incident of serious misconduct/criminal offence.
JCU students can access JCU Student Wellbeing and Counselling, (Townsville 4781 4711 or Cairns 4232 1150), and JCU staff can access the employee assistance TELUS Health on 1800 604 640.
Bullying, discrimination and harassment are covered under JCU's Staff Code of Conduct and Student Code of Conduct, with the Bullying, Discrimination and Harassment Complaint Procedure for Staff and Affiliates applying to Staff and Affiliates, and the Student Complaint Management Policy and Procedures applying to students.
Staff Members or Affiliates
A Staff Member or Affiliate can at any time provide information to the University that an incident of bullying, discrimination or harassment has occurred. This can be done by lodging a Report or a Complaint through the Universities Staff Reporting & Complaints Portal. A Report or Complaint lets the University know that an incident has happened and enables support to be provided to the person affected.
Reports can be made anonymously, noting that the actions that are possible in response to an anonymous report are limited.
Complaints cannot be made anonymously, as the complainant will need to be involved in the resolution process
The Universities Reporting and Complaints SharePoint site has more information about raising a report or complaint at the University. This includes FAQs, fact sheets, process maps, and detailed information about the available options, such as how to file a complaint or report, as well as self-resolution methods.
Students
As a JCU student, you have the right to express concern about anything you have experienced at JCU that you believe is wrong. If your concern is something which is within the control or responsibility of JCU, and you feel you have been adversely affected by it, we can help resolve it. The mechanisms available to resolve your complaint depends on a number of factors.
This webpage provides information about how to make a complaint as well as the online complaint form.
The National Student Ombudsman commenced operations on 1 February 2025 and provides an avenue for students to register concerns about their University's actions.
The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency oversees universities’ compliance with national threshold Standards, which include requirements that universities foster ‘a safe environment’, have policies ‘that deliver timely resolution of formal complains’, and that students are informed in writing of the outcome of a complaint and the reasons for it. If you believe the university has breached one of the Standards, you can submit a complaint to TEQSA.
You can also make a complaint to the Queensland Human Rights Commission.