Students

The Australian College of Theology (ACT) does not tolerate Sexual Assault or Sexual Harassment (SASH) under any circumstances. You can find more information about how to report SASH, the ACT’s SASH Policy and Procedure, and SASH prevention and response on the Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment page.

There are free national and state-based support services available for SASH and Domestic and Family Violence (DFV) support and referral. For a list of these phonelines, websites and services, please see the Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment Support Services page.

Counselling can help you with a range of issues including mental health and emotional wellbeing, loss and grief, relationship issues, and life direction.

• A number of ACT affiliated colleges have free or reduced cost counselling available to students either on site or through referral. Talk to your college registrar or student support officer to find out more.

• You can receive a Medicare rebate on up to 10 appointments with a psychologist via referral from a GP.

• Free national hotlines with counselling services over the phone include:

Lifeline (Ph: 13 11 14) – 24-hour crisis support and suicide prevention
Beyondblue (Ph: 1300 224 636) – Mental health support for anxiety, depression and other mental health concerns
Suicide Call Back (Ph: 1300 659 467) – 24-hour crisis support and counselling for people affected by suicide
13Yarn (Ph: 13 92 76) – 24-hour crisis support run by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
National Alcohol & Other Drug Hotline (Ph: 1800 250 015) provides confidential support for people struggling with addiction
National Debt Helpline (Ph: 1800 007 007) – free and confidential financial counselling
Headspace (Ph: 1800 650 890) – online support and counselling for people aged 12-25
1800RESPECT (Ph: 1800 737 732) – 24-hour support for sexual assault and domestic violence
Kids Helpline (Ph: 1800 55 1800) – 24-hour crisis support for people aged 5-25
Mensline (Ph: 1300 78 99 78) – 24-hour counselling service for men

Support is available in a range of academic areas including essay writing, proper referencing, study skills and time management, accessing library resources, and academic English. Your home college can help you with these and other skills, which will help you manage stress, through orientation programs and academic skills units. You can also make good use of the resources below to develop balanced study habits:

Australian National University’s free online study skills program
Murdoch University’s Ten tips to balance study, work and family life
Deakin University’s Stress, anxiety and time management resources
The University of Melbourne’s Ten tips to manage time and tasks

High-pressure academic environments can lead to burnout and mental health issues. We encourage you to learn and practice effective time management because this helps to avoid burnout, and it is also associated with greater academic performance and lower levels of anxiety.

The ACT and each of its Affiliated Colleges are committed to the highest standards of academic integrity. The value of your award is based on the ACT’s commitment to academic integrity.

Information about Academic Integrity and support services are available here.

Culturally appropriate support is available for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander students. For more information, head to the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Student Support page.

Mental health issues among students may be caused by stress, pressure and isolation. The ACT and Affiliated Colleges provide access to education, resources, workshops and support systems to promote mental health and wellbeing.

• Our own resources include:

Centre for Theology and Psychology – Melbourne School of Theology
Graduate Certificate of Pastoral Care for Mental Health
Living Wholeness Institute – Brisbane School of Theology
The Mental Health and Pastoral Care Institute – Mary Andrews College

• Further helpful resources include:

Universities Australia and Headspace Real Talk Framework
eCentreClinic has free online mental health and wellbeing courses run by Macquarie University
myCompass is an interactive self-help service for people with mild to moderate stress, anxiety, and depression
Embrace Multicultural Mental Health has mental health resources and personal stories translated into more than 30 languages

• If you cannot find what you’re looking for here, the National Health Services Directory can be searched by both topic and location for all health concerns.

• NSW Health has a national mental health services and supports contact list.

While ACT and affiliated college staff cannot provide legal advice, you may be referred to legal services and supports in the community that can help you with a legal matter. This could include advice and support on traffic incidents, domestic violence matters, family law matters, immigration, and consumer and tenancy rights.

• Each state and territory has a legal aid service which provides support especially for socially and economically disadvantaged people. The details of each service are found on the National Legal Aid website. The National Legal Hotline operates 7am to midnight, 7 days a week (Ph: 1300 636 846).

• There are also community legal services in each state and territory:

Community Legal Centres NSW
Community Legal Centres Queensland
Federation of Community Legal Centres VIC
Community Legal Western Australia
Community Legal Centres (SA)
Community Legal Centres Tasmania
Darwin Community Legal Service
Canberra Community Law

• Horizons Family Law Centre is a Christian non-profit offering free and low-cost legal support in NSW.

Accommodation advice is available for all students through your home college, providing you with information about how you can find accommodation while you undertake your study.

• Some affiliated colleges operate their own accommodation services. You can contact the college for more information.

• For state-based emergency accommodation and housing and other support go to:

NSW Link2Home (Ph: 1800 152 152)
QLD Emergency accommodation and Homeless Hotline (Ph: 1800 474 753)
Housing VIC (Ph: 1800 825 955)
WA Crisis accommodation and homelessness (Ph: 1800 065 892)
SA Housing Authority (Ph: 1800 003 308)
TAS Housing Connect (Ph: 1800 800 588)
NT Emergency accommodation
ACT Housing options and Onelink (Ph: 1800 176 468)

There are state-based agencies and tribunals which you can contact if a dispute arises regarding a rental arrangement. It is usually not the same as going to court, but decisions can be made which rental providers and renters must follow. The tribunals are intended to be informal and inexpensive, resolving disputes quickly and fairly:

• The NSW Civil & Administrative Tribunal (NCAT) can hear and decide on tenancy and social housing disputes in NSW.
And there are 42 community legal centres in NSW which can assist with tenancy disputes.

• The Queensland Civil and Administrative Tribunal (QCAT) can hear tenancy disputes covered by Queensland law. And Tenants Queensland has a free advice service for tenants (Ph: 1300 744 263).

• The Victorian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (VCAT) hears disputes between landlords and tenants.
And Tenants Victoria can provide advice for tenancy disputes.

• The Magistrates Court of Western Australia deals with disputes between lessors and tenants.
And Community Legal Western Australia can provide information and advice for tenancy issues.

• The South Australian Civil and Administrative Tribunal (SACAT) deals with housing disputes including residential tenancy agreements.
And Community Legal Centres (SA) provides assistance and referrals on tenancy matters.

• The Magistrates Court of Tasmania can hear disputes and make decisions about residential tenancy matters.
And the Tenants’ Union of Tasmania provides free legal advice, representation and education, as well as advocating for the improvement of tenants’ rights.

• The Northern Territory Civil and Administrative Tribunal (NTCAT) can assist with resolving certain disputes between landlords and tenants.
And Darwin Community Legal Service provides a free Tenant’s Advice Service.

• The ACT Civil and Administrative Tribunal (ACAT) resolves rental property disputes.
And Canberra Community Law provides a free specialist Housing Law Service.

Bullying is linked to poor academic performance and poor mental health. The ACT and Affiliated Colleges provide access to support sytems and information to raise awareness about and prevent bullying, hazing, discrimination and harassment. Resources include:

WSU’s Preventing and responding to Bullying Toolkit
Reachout’s bullying information and support
Comcare’s Workplace Bullying resources
Safe Work Australia’s Guide for Preventing and Responding to Workplace Bullying

• The National Health Services Directory helps you to locate the health and medical services you need all over Australia and can be searched by both topic and location for all health concerns.

• 13SICK is the National Home Doctors service which offers after hours, bulk-billed, in-home visits for all Medicare card holders. Phone 13SICK (Ph: 13 7425)

• The National Health Services Directory can point you to:

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander health services
Accommodation support
Addiction services
Alcohol and drug information
Community transport
Counselling
Dental practice
Disability support
Domestic and family violence support
Health information and referral
Medical practice
Mental health
Parenting and family support and more.

The ACT and affiliated colleges foster fair, inclusive and safe learning environments free from discrimination for students with disability. Students with disability receive individualised support through Learning Access Plans (LAPs), reasonable adjustments and other supports as needed.

• For more information on disability-specific adjustments head to the Australian Disability Clearing House for Education and Training (ADCET).

• The National Health Services Directory point you to help with:

Advocacy
Aids and equipment
Case management
Financial support
Information and referral
Social and recreational support and activities
Supported accommodation
Transport and more.

The ACT and affiliated colleges provide support systems and information about issues of online safety and wellbeing.

• You can access resources such as:

Universities Australia and eSafety’s Toolkit for Universities
CSU’s Five Steps to Protect Your Personal Information
The eSafety Guide
Reachout’s cyberbullying resources and support

Many students, including international students, face financial issues which can lead to stress and impact their academic performance. Providing resources for financial advice, information about scholarships, and support for students who are financially struggling are some of the services the ACT and affiliated colleges offer.

• Resources include:

Moneysmart is a government-run organisation providing information about financial literacy and services including financial counselling and crisis support.

Moneyminded has online resources to create a budget, reduce debt and/or improve savings.

Anglicare provides emergency food assistance, Community Pantries, no-interest loan schemes, bill assistance, help with rent and bond, financial counselling, as well as other help with housing, mental health, families and relationships.

The Salvation Army’s Moneycare service has free resources for financial wellbeing including a three-week course, videos and top tips, as well as urgent financial assistance.

Drug and alcohol misuse, as well as issues of various kinds of addiction, can be significant problems in student populations. The ACT and affiliated colleges provide access to resources for substance abuse prevention, education and recovery.

• You can find help here:

Alcohol and Drug Counselling Online’s support service for tertiary students
Reachout’s addiction resources and support
National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre’s research and resources
Alcohol and Drug Foundation’s (ADF) Drug Information Directory

Our graduates go on to find fulfilling careers and meaningful employment, with 88.7% of undergraduates surveyed and 94.4% of postgraduates surveyed employed overall (according to the 2022 QILT Graduate Outcomes Survey).
If you would like to chat with someone about your career options, please get in contact with the Student Support Officer at your college.
You can also find careers and employment support here:

Careers NSW is a free service that provides NSW residents with access to high quality, personalised careers guidance and resources.
The Queensland Government has resources for career advice, counselling and planning.
Victoria’s Skills and Jobs Centres offer free career, employment and training support services.
WA’s Jobs and Skills Centres provide free and independent training information and career guidance.
SA’s Careers Hub can help you find the right job for you.
Jobs Tasmania’s Career Connector provides expert advice on finding a job.
The Northern Territory government has career advice and information.
The Australian Capital Territory’s Skilled to Succeed is a wealth of information.

The Australian College of Theology partners with the Australian Defence Forces to foster full-time and part-time defence chaplaincy roles.

Bible College SA, contact the Academic Administrator

Brisbane School of Theology, contact the Registrar

Chinese Theological College Australia, contact the Dean of Studies

Christ College, contact the Academic Dean

Malyon Theological College, contact the Registrar

Mary Andrews College, contact the Dean of Students

Melbourne School of Theology, contact the Dean of Students

Morling College, contact the Dean of Students

Presbyterian Theological College, contact the Academic Dean

Queensland Theological College, contact the Academic Dean

Reformed Theological College, contact the Registrar

Ridley College, contact the Academic Counsellor

Sydney Missionary & Bible College, contact the Dean of Students

Trinity College Queensland, contact the Registrar

Trinity Theological College, contact the Registrar

Youthworks College, contact Mike Dicker (Dean of Students)