Guideline: Gender inclusive language
Purpose
To provide guidance on the collection and use of gender inclusive language in communications and data collection.
Guideline
- The University is inclusive, open and respectful, reflecting the diversity of our nation. It is important to ensure that all people in the University community are treated in a dignified and non-discriminatory manner regardless of their sex or gender.
- Communications and data collection are conducted in a manner that is inclusive of sex and gender diversity, and guided by the following:
- All communications from the University use gender inclusive language.
- Forms or surveys used by the University only collect sex or gender data where it is demonstrably relevant to the provision of University services or otherwise necessary for research or other purposes.
- In all cases where sex or gender data is collected, the University provides an inclusive option in addition to ‘male’ and ‘female’. Further information on the collection of gender data is available through the Australian Government Guidelines on the Recognition of Sex and Gender.
- From time to time, the University is required to collect sex or gender data as part of a survey or form distributed by a third party and failure to do so can result in a penalty. Where sex or gender data is collected in these instances, the University collects it in an inclusive manner (see point above), or where this is not possible, makes reasonable efforts to do so.
