Nine-year legal saga ends with clarity on what doesn't constitute workplace victimization

A major Australian university beat over 100 victimization claims by proving the sheer volume of complaints justified how it managed the situation.

The University of Newcastle spent nine years defending itself against allegations that it punished a PhD candidate for making a sexual harassment complaint. On February 12, 2026, the New South Wales Civil and Administrative Tribunal dismissed all the victimization claims, though it granted the appellant's request for confidentiality protections.

The case started in 2017 when the candidate complained about her supervisor. An investigation found the supervisor had caused her physical discomfort and embarrassment between August 2015 and November 2017. A 2022 tribunal decision later upheld one specific allegation of sexual harassment involving a particular comment the supervisor made.

What happened next created a minefield for the university. Between 2018 and 2024, the candidate challenged nearly every decision the institution made about her candidacy. She said giving her a separate workspace was victimization. The protocols preventing contact with her former supervisor? Discriminatory. Managing which staff she could contact, investigating her complaints, overseeing her academic progress—all unlawful retaliation, she argued.

The university faced claims about access to buildings and equipment, supervision arrangements, plagiarism investigations,...

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