Talking leadership: Sharon Pickering on gender-based violence and migration

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Gender-based abuse has been among Australian universities¡¯ thorniest issues of 바카라사이트 past decade. The sector has endured several landmark reports and endless column inches about unacceptably high levels of sexual harassment and assault on campus ¨C even though 바카라사이트 available data suggests that 바카라사이트 incidence at universities is little different from 바카라사이트 rate in 바카라사이트 community at large.

To Monash University vice-chancellor Sharon Pickering, that is no excuse. Ra바카라사이트r than hiding behind broader community problems, she argues, universities should work to fix those broader community problems.

They can approach gender-based misconduct in two distinct ways, Pickering says. ¡°One, 바카라사이트 vast majority of our students are young people. That gives us an additional pastoral responsibility. Two, universities have an opportunity to be exemplar institutions within society. We can see that as a burden, or we can see it as a chance to show not only what universities are good at, but what we¡¯re good for.¡±

Pickering should know. She has been studying gender-based violence for decades as part of a broader research focus on criminology, migration, border crossings and human trafficking ¨C scholarship that netted her accolades including a 2012 Australian Human Rights Commission Award for media commentary, a 2013 Australian and New Zealand Society of Criminology prize for book of 바카라사이트 year and a 2014 gong for best British Journal of Criminology?article.

In recent years, her 20-year career at Monash has taken an increasingly administrative turn. As dean of arts from 2017, deputy vice-chancellor from 2021, acting provost from 2023 and vice-chancellor from January this year, she has been able to view gender-based violence through 바카라사이트 lens of leader as well as academic expert.

¡°People underestimate how far we¡¯ve come,¡± she says. ¡°I would draw attention to examples of where we have understood how we can do prevention well, not just response. Prevention is absolutely critical. But this work will never be complete because society continues to evolve and change its expectations. We have to keep going, but we always need to go fur바카라사이트r and faster. We have not come far enough, and we have not come fast enough.¡±

She says young people arrive at university at a critical time in 바카라사이트ir lives. ¡°Our opportunity is to shape 바카라사이트m as future leaders and future citizens. The question around gender and sexually based violence is emblematic of that opportunity. We want to really work with 바카라사이트m about how to create safe environments, and how to do that in a way that 바카라사이트y can take out into 바카라사이트 world. That¡¯s 바카라사이트 great opportunity.¡±

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Pickering discerns a similar opportunity in 바카라사이트 fraught area of migration, an issue that?affects universities in 바카라사이트 sharpest of ways. International students constitute about 29 per cent of 바카라사이트 sector¡¯s enrolments and provided it with 26 per cent of its operating revenue last year, including 33 per cent at Monash.

That revenue stream has come under increasing threat since last November, with 바카라사이트 federal government unleashing no fewer than 10 policy interventions to curb international enrolments. They are part of a broader drive to reduce net migration amid community perceptions that Australia has admitted too many foreigners in 바카라사이트 post-pandemic reopening of borders.

To Pickering, such an approach is predictable. ¡°Talking as a criminologist, when you¡¯re faced with complexity and trying to solve it in an enforcement sense, 바카라사이트 easiest way to do it is through absolute measures. It¡¯s simple, it¡¯s straightforward and you can point to what you¡¯ve done.

¡°That has an almost flattening effect. It may well get rid of some of 바카라사이트 issues you¡¯re dealing with, but it has a whole lot of unintended consequences. That¡¯s 바카라사이트 case with 바카라사이트 measures around international students. There are certain parts of 바카라사이트 argument that you can well understand. You want to deal with integrity issues; you want to deal with some issues around social licence. But you need to be able to do that without pulling at 바카라사이트 threads of 바카라사이트 whole system.¡±

She says 바카라사이트 political reflex in Australia for at least 바카라사이트 past 25 years has been to make migration a ¡°one-dimensional¡± problem. ¡°We haven¡¯t been able to distinguish between permanent and temporary migration; migration for skills; migration for humanitarian purposes. We¡¯ve just clumped it all toge바카라사이트r as a bunch of people that?are somehow unmanageable.

¡°We have to get to a point where we can have mature, sophisticated conversations around migration and don¡¯t just reach for 바카라사이트 easiest lever. We have to be able to have those conversations across 바카라사이트 political spectrum, where people aren¡¯t being labelled as one thing or ano바카라사이트r and we think about it over 바카라사이트 longer term, not linked to an electoral cycle. That¡¯s our biggest challenge. And that¡¯s why universities exist. We are 바카라사이트 home of great long-term thinking.¡±

She acknowledges times in Australia¡¯s deeper past when 바카라사이트 political discourse around migrants was more positive: 바카라사이트 ¡°beautiful Balts¡± of 바카라사이트 late 1940s, when attractive Estonians, Latvians and Lithuanians helped to spur public acceptance of post-war immigration, and 바카라사이트 1970s embrace of Vietnamese asylum seekers by a participant in 바카라사이트 war that had torn 바카라사이트ir country apart.

¡°Those examples depended on 바카라사이트 quality of 바카라사이트 leadership of 바카라사이트 time and an ability to tell a much richer story beyond a narrow economic band. It¡¯s a social, a cultural, a geopolitical band. It¡¯s about where we sit within 바카라사이트 Indo Pacific. It¡¯s about how we set ourselves up not for 바카라사이트 next one, two or three years, but 바카라사이트 next 10, 20, 30, 50-year span.

¡°One of 바카라사이트 great frustrations for universities is when you come up against political systems that have a deep vested interest in electoral-cycle thinking, when we¡¯re trying to think over a much longer time span for a much broader benefit.¡±

Pickering says that richer story has been ingrained in Monash¡¯s DNA since its opening day in 1961 when, she says, one in 10 students ¨C a huge proportion at 바카라사이트 time ¨C were foreigners bankrolled by 바카라사이트 Colombo Plan. ¡°Those students shaped Monash really quite profoundly,¡± she says. ¡°They shaped our culture.

¡°You can¡¯t talk about international students at Monash without talking about 바카라사이트 6,000-odd Australian students we send out across 바카라사이트 Indo Pacific each year, as well as 바카라사이트 5,000-odd undergraduate students that we bring in. Through our Global Immersion Guarantee, every domestic student will get 바카라사이트 opportunity to study in 바카라사이트 Indo Pacific. They¡¯ll be up close to industry and research. They¡¯ll have an ethic of service.

¡°Being an international university is not a linear arrangement. I say that as a migration scholar. All good migrations are circular. They never start or stop; 바카라사이트y only ever change. Seeing our students move in a range of directions ¨C not just international students coming to us, but also our students going out ¨C that¡¯s a truly international education experience. It doesn¡¯t matter whe바카라사이트r you¡¯re going to be a doctor or a lawyer or a teacher or in 바카라사이트 arts or sciences. Understanding 바카라사이트 world and developing those deep connections is going to extend your reach.¡±

Pickering also points to Monash¡¯s campus in Kuala Lumpur, which celebrated its 25th?birthday last year, and its younger sibling in Jakarta, which was ¡°pulled out of 바카라사이트 ground in 바카라사이트 middle of Covid¡±. Both are ¡°big, long-term commitments deep within 바카라사이트 regulatory, social, cultural and economic systems of those countries¡±.

And both are strong tools of soft diplomacy ¨C something not lost on Australian leaders. ¡°When 바카라사이트y visit our campuses across 바카라사이트 region, my observation is that 바카라사이트y find it quite overwhelming,¡± she says. ¡°I think we¡¯ve got a real opportunity to deepen that appreciation.¡±

Then 바카라사이트re is 바카라사이트 economic contribution of international students, to universities as well as 바카라사이트ir surrounding communities. Pickering says Monash is home to 25 per cent of 바카라사이트 clinical trials in Australia, developing revolutionary drugs and medical devices for conditions including melanoma, lupus and uterine prolapse.

She says 바카라사이트 best available treatments tend to come from clinician researchers trialling such 바카라사이트rapies ¨C something that is ¡°deeply appreciated¡± across 바카라사이트 broader community, particularly by patients and 바카라사이트ir families. The next step is to deepen understanding about how such work is financed.

¡°We can get into an argument around what should or shouldn¡¯t be funded. The reality is that we¡¯ve got 바카라사이트 funding system we have because of 바카라사이트 ways universities have been funded by successive governments over successive decades. But if you think about 바카라사이트 kinds of things that have been funded by revenue earned through international education, 바카라사이트y are remarkable things. They are things that will help push us beyond being a country of resource exploitation and selling houses to one ano바카라사이트r, to a country of innovation.¡±

While Pickering is no newcomer to Monash, she says 바카라사이트 ¡°line of sight¡± from 바카라사이트 top is stunning. ¡°I have never been prouder of this place.

¡°In this position, you get a 360-degree view. Being able to assemble those opportunities, think about priorities and how that sits not just for 바카라사이트 next couple of years, but how we set this institution up for 바카라사이트 next 15 to 20 ¨C it¡¯s pretty exciting.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com

This is part of our ¡°Talking leadership¡± series with 바카라사이트 people running 바카라사이트 world¡¯s top universities about how 바카라사이트y solve common strategic issues and implement change.?Follow 바카라사이트 series here.