Background & Campaign Overview
Respect & Equality 2025
Building a Culture of Respect and Equality in Vocational Education & Training
The Respect & Equality 2025 campaign supports Victoria’s Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector in creating safer, more inclusive learning environments. This initiative champions respect, equality, and the prevention of gender-based violence by equipping training providers with the tools, knowledge, and strategies needed to drive lasting cultural change.
Expanding on the success of the 2024 Respect & Equality in TAFE campaign, this initiative now includes all Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) across Victoria, ensuring a sector-wide commitment to gender equality and safety in education and workplaces.
About campaigns to prevent gendered violence
Primary prevention of violence campaigns play a critical role in fostering safer, more inclusive communities by addressing the root causes of violence before it occurs. These initiatives focus on education, awareness, and systemic change to create environments that support respect, equality, and safety for all. By promoting positive behaviours and challenging harmful norms, these campaigns empower individuals and institutions to take proactive steps toward preventing violence, particularly gender-based violence, in all areas of society.
The Respect and Equality campaign aligns with this approach, reinforcing the role that education providers play in shaping respectful attitudes and behaviours among students, staff, and broader learning communities. Vocational Education and Training (VET) institutions, including TAFEs and Registered Training Organisations (RTOs), are uniquely positioned to champion respect and equality, ensuring that future workforces enter their industries with a strong foundation in inclusive and respectful practices.
Building on the 2024 Respect and Equality in TAFE Campaign
The 2025 Respect and Equality campaign builds upon the success of the Respect and Equality in TAFE campaign launched in 2024. That initiative laid the groundwork for fostering a culture of respect and inclusion within TAFE environments, emphasizing the importance of promoting gender equality and preventing gender-based violence through policy, education, and community engagement.
The 2025 campaign expands its reach to encompass all Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) across Victoria alongside TAFE institutions. This broader scope ensures that all students, apprentices, trainees, and staff across Victoria’s Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector have access to resources and messaging that promote respect, equality, and safe learning environments.
The Respect and Equality in TAFE campaign focuses on promoting gender equality, respect, and the prevention of gender-based violence within the TAFE and VET sectors. The 2025 campaign aims to build on the successful 2024 initiative, sustaining engagement through unified messaging across all Victorian training providers and their communities. This campaign involves both online and in-person activities, supporting a broader cultural change towards safe, inclusive, and respectful environments.
This campaign is part of the Training for Respect Project, an initiative aimed at improving the capacity, capability, and confidence of Victoria’s adult education sector to prevent and respond to work-related gender-based violence.
The 2025 campaign, seeks to scale up the success of the 2024 Respect and Equality in TAFE Campaign across all providers, stakeholders, and interested parties in the Victorian VET sector. This expansion aims to amplify the positive impact on gender equality and build a consistent, statewide set of messages that define what a culture of respect within education and training settings looks like.
Who is behind the campaign?
The 2025 Respect and Equality Campaign is a collaborative effort between key stakeholders in Victoria’s Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector and leaders in the prevention of workplace gendered violence. These organizations have come together with a shared vision: to create a Victorian VET sector that is free from workplace gendered violence—in all learning environments and all TAFE/RTO workplaces.
This initiative is driven by a strong partnership model, leveraging the expertise, resources, and commitment of organizations dedicated to gender equality, workplace safety, and primary prevention. The campaign is delivered in partnership with:
Partners
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Respect and Equality in TAFE Network
Supported and coordinated through Melbourne PolyTechnic
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Our Watch
National Leader in Primary Prevention of Gender Based Violence. Developer of TAFE’s Respect and Equality Framework and part of the Training for Respect Partnership
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Victorian TAFE Association (VTA)
VTA is a not-for-profit organisation that informs, supports and represents the interests of the Victorian TAFE sector
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Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (ITECA)
The National Peak Industry Association for the independent skills, training and higher education sector across Australia.
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Jesuit Social Services I The Men's Project
The Men’s Project supports men and boys to live respectful, accountable and fulfilling lives free from violence and other harmful behaviours. Through new approaches JSS improves the wellbeing of men and boys’, so that we see more good men, respectful relationships, and safe communities
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Women's Health East
Women’s Health East is the women’s health promotion agency for Melbourne’s east. We improve health outcomes for women across the seven local government areas of Yarra Ranges, Knox, Maroondah, Manningham, Monash, Whitehorse and Boroondara.
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Women's Health Goulburn North East
Women’s Health Goulburn North East is a feminist organisation, leading change towards women’s empowerment, women’s health, the prevention of violence against women and ultimately, gender equality, in rural and regional Victoria.
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Women's Health in the South East
Women’s Health in the South East (WHISE) provides promotion, advocacy, support and education services for women’s health in the Southern Metropolitan Region of Melbourne. We work with governments, organisations, education providers, health practitioners and community groups.
Part of the Training for Respect Project
This campaign is a key initiative of the Training for Respect Project, an evidence-based program that:
Strengthens the capacity, capability, and confidence of training providers to prevent and respond to workplace gendered violence.
Develops practical resources to address sexual harassment, gender inequality, and psychosocial risks in education settings.
Supports sector leaders in embedding intersectional, evidence-based strategies for long-term change.
The Training for Respect Project is proudly supported by WorkSafe Victoria’s WorkWell Respect Fund, which funds large-scale initiatives to prevent work-related gendered violence and promote safe, respectful workplaces.
Get Involved
Training providers, educators, students, and industry leaders can support and engage with the Respect & Equality 2025 campaign by:
Using campaign resources – Downloadable toolkits and messaging assets available here.
Joining the conversation – Follow the campaign on social media and amplify messages of respect and inclusion.
Attending campaign events – Sign up for events, including the Wheeler Centre event on March 25, 2025.
Partnering with the campaign – Advocate for respectful learning and working environments across the VET sector.
