Protecting Country: A driver of our strategy

Progressive inclusivity
Indigenous achievement
Student-centric values
Philanthropy goals
Sustainability practice

Protecting Country is about people, place and planet.

We have a responsibility to respect and listen to First Nations voices and standpoints and, in all that we do, improve the health and wellbeing of the planet we share. Everything we do and every decision we make is underpinned by a commitment to Protecting Country. Country is both a place of belonging and a way of believing, as well as contributing to the conservation of critical environmental and diverse cultural assets.

It is a community-driven movement towards long-term social, cultural, physical and economic prosperity and sustainability.

We honour our deep diversity as a foundation for collaboration and social progress. This is central to our Protecting Country commitment.

First Nations Voice, Treaty, Truth

As a public purpose institution that has pledged itself to Protecting Country, Victoria University honours that commitment

It is both a privilege and a responsibility that we take very seriously – particularly in matters of national significance.

At Victoria University, we want to see real action happening. We want to see Voice, Treaty, and Truth. Not one, but all three.

That is why our University Council approved the following principled statement on 3 May 2023:

Victoria University supports the Uluru Statement from the Heart in its entirety. This means we also endorse a coming together under Makarrata to supervise a process of agreement-making between governments and First Nations, and truth-telling about our history. Therefore, the University Council unequivocally resolves to support the Voice to Parliament.

The state of Victoria enacted Australia’s first-ever Treaty legislation in 2018, followed by the establishment of the First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria. We strongly support the ongoing work of the Assembly and our collective journey to Treaty. 

In the lead-up to the referendum and beyond, we commit to ensuring the information we share is clear, unambiguous, evidence-based, value-driven and respectful. Our communities expect no less.

We acknowledge the diversity of VU viewpoints on this issue, including amongst First Nations colleagues. We commit to reflecting them fearlessly and respectfully. Please ensure your conversations are respectful and consider cultural load, safety and wellbeing.

Safety and Wellbeing Resources

Victoria University condemns systemic racism and acknowledges its destructive impact on individuals. We are committed to ensuring the University is an inclusive environment for all, and we join in solidarity to ensure that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people feel safe in engaging in university spaces.

If you or someone you know becomes a target of racial attacks or feels the impact of heightened current media and public attention, there are a range of support services available.

Employee Assistance Program

Our Employee Assistance Program is available for short-term assistance to all VU employees and their immediate family members. Through our EAP, you have confidential access to up to five free sessions per client, per year, with experienced, qualified mental health professionals.

assets/arrow-long Created with Sketch.

13YARN

13YARN is the first national crisis support line for mob who are feeling overwhelmed or having difficulty coping. We offer a confidential one-on-one yarning opportunity with a Lifeline-trained Aboriginal & Torres Strait Islander Crisis Supporter who can provide crisis support 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

assets/arrow-long Created with Sketch.

Safer Community

Safer Community is a central point of enquiry, response and support for concerning, threatening or inappropriate behaviour. We provide support at all stages of responding to complex and sensitive situations.

assets/arrow-long Created with Sketch.

Resources

Moondani Balluk

Moondani Balluk means ‘embrace people’ in the Woiwurrung language of the Wurundjeri people. Our vision for the Moondani Balluk Academic Unit is to create and foster a culturally sensitive environment that welcomes, nurtures and recreates community, based on relationship to land, culture, law and elders.

We share Aboriginal knowledge and strive to integrate Aboriginal practices into our curricula, research and work. We work towards creating a respectful community for all people through mutually engaged relationships, while pursuing political and social justice, equity, and access to education for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Courses & units with an Indigenous focus

Read about our courses and units that foreground Indigenous perspectives.

assets/arrow-long Created with Sketch.

Aboriginal research & researchers

We are committed to an Indigenous research agenda of pursuing social justice outcomes through research within a framework of decolonisation.

assets/arrow-long Created with Sketch.
Paola Balla's Moondani Balluk design: The original design was fitted into the VU triangle logo so that it showed the embodying relationship between the University and Moondani Balluk & the meaning of “embracing people”- being embraced by VU

New Moondani Balluk Centre

For the last few months, Building G has undergone a transformation. Behind the hoarding, the hammering and the buzz of activity, a new Moondani Balluk Centre is almost ready to emerge.

assets/arrow-long Created with Sketch.

Progressive inclusivity

Victoria University champions progressive inclusivity with a deep pride for our diverse community.

Our students come from over 90 cultural backgrounds, and 51% are the first in their families to go to university. These unique demographics are behind Victoria University’s innovative First Year College and VU Block Model®, where students focus on one subject at a time over four weeks in learner-centred classes.

We believe in learning and working environments where everyone feels welcome, comfortable, and heard. That includes fostering gender and racial equality, creating safer spaces for the gender diverse and LGBTQIA+ communities, and making VU accessible for those with a disability.

At VU, education comes with opportunity, equality and excellence.

Our Watch partnership

Our Watch, a national leader in the primary prevention of violence against women and their children in Australia, is partnering with Victoria University to help address systemic issues around gender inequality and violence.

assets/arrow-long Created with Sketch.

Inclusion & belonging

Victoria University welcomes and celebrates the diverse perspectives, identities, cultural backgrounds, ages and experiences of our staff and students.

assets/arrow-long Created with Sketch.

VU Block Model

Inspired by similar models across North America and Europe, the award-winning VU Block Model® is a proven success with students, educators and employers.

assets/arrow-long Created with Sketch.