The student experience is central to the educational purpose and responsibility of Australia's universities. These Good Practice Guidelines for Enhancing Student Safety (the Guidelines) affirm that student welfare and student safety are preconditions for that experience to be a positive and beneficial one for all. Naturally, basic safety and a rewarding student experience apply to all students, but recent concerns have particularly focused on international students.
The Guidelines present principles that must underpin success in guaranteeing student safety, and outline good practices and positive initiatives that will help ensure that the principles laid down can be fully realised in both the immediate and longer-term future. The principles and Guidelines reflect the views of Australia's universities and their determination to sustain and enhance the student experience and to keep building the strength and resilience of international education in Australia.
The Guidelines look directly at the issue of student safety as a first and foundation component of the student experience. The Guidelines aim to assist universities to enhance the safety of international students on and off campus, to inform students of the initiatives in place to address their needs and expectations, and to demonstrate the importance which Australia‟s universities attach to the safety of international students. They provide a common approach with which universities and other education providers can achieve these goals.
The documentation of good practice guidelines and experience specifically seeks to enhance the student experience and student safety of international students in Australian universities. It also demonstrates good practice for ensuring the safety for all students both domestic and international, whether studying at a university or at another education institution.
