Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency

• NEW YORK, Sept. 27, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Charity Navigator, the nation's largest and most influential nonprofit evaluator, announced the winners today of its first-ever Community Choice Awards , which recognize and celebrate the exceptional work of top-rated charities.
• Charity Navigator analyzes nonprofit performance based on four key indicators, referred to as beacons , and each of the winning organizations has earned Charity Navigator's prestigious four-star rating with assessments on all four beacons: Leadership & Adaptability, Accountability & Finance, Culture & Community, and Impact & Results.
• The winners were determined by the total number of votes received by supporters within each size-based category.
• "Congratulations to the outstanding charities that have been honored with the Community Choice Awards and a big thank you to the supporters who cast their votes and made this recognition possible," says Michael Thatcher, President & CEO of Charity Navigator.

• REMA, BURNA BOY, AND SELENA GOMEZ WIN BIG AT THE 16TH ANNUAL HEADIES AWARDS ON SEPTEMBER 3RD, 2023
  This year's event—which returned to the States for the second year in a row—was no different, as the highly-anticipated celebration featured the world's most influential and impactful artists from Africa to the United States.
• Rema and Burna Boy each won three awards and Odumodublvck, Asake, and Victony & Tempoe each won two awards.
• Selena Gomez won international artiste of the year and Director K, won for best music video.
• For more details on this year's 16th Annual Headies Awards, please visit https://theheadies.com .

• HONG KONG, June 21, 2023 - (ACN Newswire) - The 10th PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards (Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau) programme, which celebrates the country's exemplary development companies and outstanding design practices, returns for its latest edition.
• Main winners of the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards (Mainland China, Hong Kong, Macau) will qualify to compete with the region's best at the 18th PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards Grand Final 2023 on 8 December in Bangkok, Thailand.
• New World Development Company Limited garnered the award of Best Developer (Asia), representing China (Hong Kong and Macau), at the 17th PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards Grand Final 2022.
• NOTE: Use of the PropertyGuru Asia Property Awards logo is limited to the publication of this article only.

• This review team, led by Professor Mary O'Kane, has been tasked with creating a “visionary plan” for Australian higher education.
• When it comes to safety and sexual assault on campuses, “more obviously needs to be done”.
• Sexual assault and harassment on campus is affecting the wellbeing of students and staff, and their ability to succeed.

Sexual violence on campus

• One in six had been sexually harassed in a university context since starting their studies.
• Significantly these rates showed little shift from the Australian Human Rights Commission’s 2017 report on university sexual assaults, despite universities committing to a range of measures that would make campuses safer.
• Many expressed frustration with the time it took for a complaint to be dealt with by universities, which often re-traumatised student survivors.

What does the review say?

• This includes a recommendation to improve university governance with a particular focus on staff and student safety and to add more higher education expertise to governing bodies.
• The review team is also seeking feedback on more than 70 ideas for the final report, due in December.
• It specifically wants to give more consideration to
  improving student wellbeing and safety, including empowering students on matters that affect them.

What needs to happen now?

• This represents an important signal to state and territory governments that the federal government expects an escalated national response.
• The federal government funds and regulates higher education but apart from the Australian National University, universities are governed by state or territory legislation.
• But pursuing action on campus sexual violence through university governing boards, via state and territory governments, poses some challenges.

Complaints about complaints

• The review team has suggested strengthening the role of the Commonwealth Ombudsman, extending the coverage of this federal government agency to complaints from domestic students.
• This move could potentially provide a new streamlined avenue for students to make complaints if they have been subjected to sexual violence.
• Senate estimates figures used in my research show this has not been an effective framework for tackling campus sexual violence.

What else do we need?

• The potential measures in the interim report are promising but will need to be carefully calibrated to make campuses safe.
• Under the current system, TEQSA has “moved to ensure all higher education providers are fostering safe environments”.
• But my research shows stakeholders are frustrated by the regulator’s “very onerous” complaints mechanisms and ineffective enforcement of regulatory standards.
• The commission also recommended universities ensure they have adequate and safe processes for students to report a sexual assault or harassment incident.

Urgent action still required

• An essential prerequisite for Australia’s higher education sector is that universities and residential colleges can provide a safe environment for their students.
• If this article has raised issues for you, or if you’re concerned about someone you know, call 1800RESPECT on 1800 737 732.