Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions

Alternative reporting options help victim-survivors of sexual assault

In Australia, sexual assault remains widely underreported to police, despite sustained efforts to reform policing practices and responses. Drawing on years of research, a team of experts, co-led by UOW's Dr Rachel Loney-Howes, have developed the first blueprint for evidence-based alternative reporting options for victim-survivors. 

The blueprint guides the design, implementation and operation of trauma-informed alternative reporting tools, grounded in the perspectives of key stakeholder groups across Australia. The alternative reporting tools enable users to report sexually violent behaviours in their own words, using best‑practice cognitive interviewing prompts. Crucially, it gives victim‑survivors full control over what happens to their information and their preferred level of police contact, including none. 

Since 2020, the collaborative research team from UOW, RMIT and La Trobe universities have worked to understand the needs of survivors and the impact effective alternative reporting options could have on therapeutic and criminal justice outcomes.  

‘Something needs to change,’ said Dr Loney-Howes, who is a senior lecturer in criminology from UOW's School of Social Sciences. ‘If our recommendations are taken on board, we can give survivors a gold-standard reporting experience and substantially improve their access to support and justice.’

This initiative is supporting:

• Goal 3: Good Health and Wellbeing
• Goal 5: Gender Equity
• Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities
• Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
• Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals

New podcast deep dives into the people and politics of the sea

A new podcast, spearheaded by UOW's Australian National Centre for Ocean Resources and Security (ANCORS), is diving deep on the complexities of our ocean and how issues such as climate change, pollution and fisheries management are negotiated on the international stage. 

Hosted by Dr Ina Tessnow-von Wysocki, ANCORS Research Fellow Dr Bianca Haas, and journalist and UOW PhD candidate Jennifer Macey, Negotiating the Ocean examines the state of our ocean through the lens of equity and social justice. 

The podcast speaks with experts, scientists and policymakers to explore how fairness and inclusion are considered in international negotiations over the ocean's future and resources. Episodes focus on topics including marine biodiversity, tuna fisheries, deep-sea mining and the new High Seas Treaty. 

Dr Haas said the podcast's importance lies in how ocean conservation intersects with issues around social justice, addressing ‘not only who bears the brunt of pollution and climate impacts, but who benefits from conservation efforts.’ 

‘True equity means prioritising communities who are often most dependent on the ocean yet least protected from harm,’ she said. ‘Protecting the oceans must include protecting the people who rely on them most.’

This initiative is supporting:

• Goal 4: Quality Education
• Goal 13: Climate Action
• Goal 14: Life Below Water
• Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
• Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals

UOW law student takes First Nations leadership to the United Nations

University of Wollongong law student Tiarna Williams, a proud Awabakal-Dharawal woman, travelled to the United Nations Headquarters in New York in 2025 as part of the Global Voices Policy Fellowship, an initiative supporting young Australians who are passionate about policy, human rights and international engagement.

During her time in New York, Williams attended committee sessions and met with representatives from UN departments, NGOs and the Australian Permanent Mission to the UN. The fellowship offered the opportunity to contribute to discussions shaping international law and gain invaluable experience in an environment surrounded by delegates, legal experts and diplomats from across the world.

Williams said being in the room while global decisions were being made about international law was a life-changing experience, opening her eyes to career paths she hadn’t known existed.

‘This fellowship has helped me to understand the different entry pathways and what skills are valued in the international sector,’ she said. ‘It gave me direction and confidence.’

As part of the fellowship, Williams also authored an independent policy paper examining challenges for First Nations communities under Australia's Native Title Act 1993, recommending a stronger legal framework for community-led decision-making. She hopes her experience encourages other young Indigenous people to consider careers in law, advocacy or international affairs.

This initiative is supporting:

• Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities
• Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
• Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Exploring refugee experiences in regional Australia

Led by Associate Professor Natascha Klocker  from UOW's School of Social Sciences, ‘Settling well in regional Australia: Experiences of people from refugee backgrounds’ aims to provide the first comprehensive assessment of the impacts of refugee settlement in regional Australia. The project, which is funded until 2026, examines how regional settlement impacts people of refugee backgrounds, as well as the communities in which they settle.  

In collaboration with partner organisations and universities, UOW researchers use qualitative and quantitative research methods to generate in-depth knowledge of the opportunities and challenges for sustainable refugee settlement in regional Australia. To date, the team has conducted hundreds of interviews and surveys with former refugees, community stakeholders and First Nations custodians, operating across 8 study sites in New South Wales, Queensland and Victoria.  

Interim research findings show that living in regional towns overwhelmingly supports wellbeing and belonging for former refugees, with 97% of respondents saying their experience in town has been good, and 81% reporting feeling welcomed by community. 

However, challenges remain, including discrimination, a lack of suitable rental housing and public transport, and limited access to diverse higher education opportunities. The settling well project will provide insights and guidance to policymakers to help improve settlement outcomes for both former refugees and their destination communities.

This initiative is supporting:

• Goal 3: Good Health and Wellbeing
• Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities
• Goal 11: Sustainable Cities and Communities
• Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
• Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals

UOW launches Indigenous Education and Engagement Strategy 2024–2028

In 2024, UOW's Indigenous Strategy Unit launched the Indigenous Education and Engagement Strategy 2024-2028, marking a significant milestone in the University's commitment to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander advancement. 

The comprehensive strategy encompasses deliverables and strategic actions designed to resurrect, reinvigorate and advance partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students, staff and community. At its core, the strategy navigates the transformative path of students while celebrating the interconnectedness of community and education. 

The strategy aims to provide an overarching framework of self-determination, illuminating the University's commitment to an accountable and transparent way forward for staff, students, communities and partners. It reinforces UOW's position as a leader in Indigenous higher education, providing clear priorities and measurable outcomes for meaningful progress.

This initiative is supporting:

• Goal 4: Quality Education
• Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities
• Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
• Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals

Educational linguists across borders

A team of UOW School of Education linguists have joined forces with the Universities of Kryvyi Rih and Kharkiv, TESOL Ukraine, and a US partner to deliver a project which aims to enhance Ukrainian students’ proficiency in English, equipping them with the necessary language skills to thrive in international contexts. 
 
The Bilingual Ukrainian English Primary Schools in Ukraine project came about after Ukraine born and raised, Dr Ruslana Westerlund, from Wisconsin Cooperative Educational Service met with academics from Ukrainian universities. Yet it was after Dr Westerlund’s trip to Australia in 2016 and meeting with UOW’s Associate Professor Pauline Jones and Emeritus Professor Beverly Derewianka, two leading figures in educational linguistics and authors of the best-selling book Teaching Language in Context, that she became eager to bring these innovative approaches to her home country of Ukraine. 
 
Despite being delayed by the difficult political situation in Ukraine, the project began in September 2023, marking a significant milestone in advancing bilingual education and English language proficiency in Ukraine.

This initiative is supporting:

• Goal 4: Quality Education
• Goal 10: Reduced Inequalities
• Goal 16: Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
• Goal 17: Partnerships for the Goals