6 September 2020 – 6.45pm AEST

Victorian Premier, Daniel Andrews has today announced a roadmap for Victorian residents and businesses addressing the lifting of restrictions across metropolitan Melbourne and regional Victoria.

The roadmap outlined the following key points:

Stage 4 restrictions (currently in place in metropolitan Melbourne until Sunday 13 September) will be extended for an additional two weeks until Monday 28 September, with some easing of restrictions around exercise, curfew hours and social interaction.

Further easing of restrictions over the coming months will be subject to public health advice and the average daily cases.

Swinburne has already commenced contingency planning to ensure that our students can complete their 2020 year and to enable our final year students to graduate. Our dedicated COVID-19 Taskforce will work through the implications of today’s announcement and communicate any updates to students and staff as soon as possible.

5 August 2020 – 6.30pm AEST

In addition to recently announced Stage 4 restrictions, the Victorian Government has advised permitted workers who fall in the exempted categories will require a ‘worker permit’ from 11.59pm Wednesday 5 August when travelling to and from work.

It is vital that students and staff do not come on campus unless they fall in the exempted categories and have the necessary approvals.

As part of the Permitted Worker Scheme, Swinburne will be issuing worker permits for staff in selected categories of teaching, research and essential support services that are exempt from Stage 4 restrictions. More information about this process is available on the Stage 4 restrictions page on our COVID-19 hub.

Swinburne will also issue approval letters for students in exempted categories to enable them to travel to and from campus for approved activities.

Students and staff who are permitted on campus must adhere to on-campus protocols, including mandatory temperature checks and wearing a face covering.

The Victorian Government has also announced car parks in metropolitan Melbourne must close from 11.59pm on Wednesday 5 August. Car parks that remain open will risk a penalty of $100,000.

In response, Swinburne will close its car parks in Henry Street, Burwood Road and the multi-deck car park in Wakefield Street, Hawthorn from Wednesday, 5 August until 16 September 2020. Students and staff who have swipe card access and have been permitted to come onto campus will still be able to park on campus.

5 August 2020 – 10.30am AEST

Whilst the majority of our teaching and learning will continue to be delivered online, we are temporarily restricting access to Hawthorn, Wantirna and Croydon campuses from 11:59pm on Wednesday 5 August for six weeks.

Access to campuses will only be allowed for those in selected exempt categories of teaching, research, and essential support services. Most of our buildings will be closed to staff and students except those with a specific exemption under Stage 4 restrictions. Most teaching will continue to be delivered online, in keeping with government directives.

As announced by Premier Daniel Andrews, staff in selected exempt categories will need a ‘Worker Permit’ from 11:59pm Wednesday, 5 August when travelling to and from work. These will be issued by Swinburne and we are developing a process to ensure relevant staff subject to exemptions, can be issued with a permit.

Exceptions apply to those who fall under selected exempt categories. Students and staff permitted to come on campus will need to follow all current on-campus protocols, including mandatory temperature checks.

Most students and staff should expect to continue to study and work remotely for the foreseeable future.

Libraries and Latelabs on all campuses are now closed.

Wellbeing at Swinburne will continue to operate both online and also at Hawthorn campus. You can make an appointment to see a GP or for counselling by calling (03) 9214 8483.

More information and updates are available at our COVID-19 hub, which we will continue to update regularly.

3 August 2020 – 3.00pm AEST

In keeping with the Stage 4 restrictions in Melbourne, the following decisions have been made relating to on-campus classes and services:

classes currently on campus will continue as scheduled, unless advised otherwise

on-campus classes will finish no later than 6.30pm to enable students and staff to make curfew. They will be rescheduled or cancelled, and students will be notified in advance

VCE and VCAL courses will abide by the conditions imposed on secondary schools and all will move to remote learning effective immediately

Latelabs and Libraries will close from 5.00pm Monday 3 August

research activities will continue as normal until advised otherwise

temperature checking will continue on all Swinburne campuses



2 August 2020 – 3.30pm AEST

The Victorian Government has announced that Victoria will enter a State of Disaster starting 6.00pm Sunday, 2 August 2020.

Additionally, Melbourne will move to Stage 4 restrictions starting 8.00pm Sunday, 2 August 2020, with stronger rules in place to limit people’s movements across the state.

The following new restrictions will now apply to Melbourne:

an 8.00pm – 5.00am curfew beginning on Sunday, 2 August. The only reasons to leave home during these hours will be work, medical care and caregiving

exercise will be limited to a maximum of one hour per day and no more than five-kilometres from your home

group size for exercise will be limited to a maximum of two people

shopping will be limited to one person per household per day, within a five-kilometre radius from your home

Additionally, Premier Daniel Andrews has also announced that Regional Victoria will return to Stage 3 restrictions from 11.59pm Wednesday, 5 August 2020.

More information on what these new restrictions mean for Swinburne students and staff will be communicated promptly.

28 July 2020 – 4.30pm AEST

Swinburne is mandating temperature checking for all staff, students, contractors and visitors coming onto campus for approved essential activities from Friday, 31 July 2020.

This is an important measure, which will help protect our community during the current level of community transmission.

Temperature checking is one of the many tools Swinburne is implementing to help mitigate risk on campus and keep our community safe.

Physical distancing, hand hygiene and staying at home if unwell remain important measures to minimise the spread of COVID-19 in our community.

Visit Swinburne’s on-campus protocols page for further information on temperature checking, including the locations of the temperature checking stations.

20 July 2020 – 9.00am AEST

The Victorian Government has mandated face coverings for people living in metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire when leaving home for one of the four reasons.

“By covering our faces, we’re protecting ourselves, our families and every single Victorian. So please – just as you remember your house keys, please remember something to cover your face,” says Premier Daniel Andrews.

This new rule will come into effect on 11.59pm, Wednesday 22 July. The fine for not wearing a face covering when you’re out will be $200.

Swinburne students and staff are expected to abide by these new directives while they are on-campus for essential teaching, learning and research activities.

7 July 2020 – 4.00pm AEST

The Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has announced that Stage 3 Stay at Home restrictions will be reinstated from 11:59pm on Wednesday 8 July for metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire in Victoria for six weeks.

If you live in these areas, there will be only four reasons to leave your home: Shopping for food and essential items

Care and caregiving

Daily exercise

Work and study –if you can’t do it from home

Otherwise: stay home.

This Stay at Home direction will apply to your principal place of residence.

Businesses in metropolitan Melbourne and Mitchell Shire will also return to Stage 3 restrictions. Restaurants and cafes will return to takeaway and delivery services only. Beauty and personal services will need to close. Entertainment and cultural venues will need to close. Community sport will stop. Swinburne staff and students are expected to abide by these government directives. We will continue to update you.



2 July 2020 – 9.00am AEST

The Victorian Government has announced a return to Stage 3 stay at home restrictions in several suburbs across the state in response to a recent increase in COVID-19 cases.

These restrictions will be in place from 11.59pm, Wednesday 1 July and relate to people who reside in these postcodes: 3038, 3064, 3047, 3060, 3012, 3032, 3055, 3042, 3021 and 3046.

Under Stage 3 restrictions, residents in these locations are asked to stay at home except for four reasons:

shop for food and supplies

provide care and caregiving

exercise

study or work if you can’t do it from home.

These restrictions are expected to remain in place in these locations until 29 July.

Swinburne staff and students who reside in these locations are expected to abide by these government directives. However, study and work are exempt from these lockdowns and we understand that some staff and students will come to campus for essential teaching and learning or research activities.

24 June 2020 – 1.00pm AEST

As Swinburne transitions essential activities to campus, managing the health, safety and wellbeing of our people is our priority.

To minimise risk to our community, Swinburne is implementing appropriate health and hygiene protocols. We have also developed a Keeping Swinburne COVIDSafe training module (login required) that has been shared with all staff. A similar training module has been provided to higher education and vocational education students who have commenced on-campus classes, and will be available for the wider student cohort in the coming weeks.

The training outlines Swinburne’s key COVIDSafe principles and the processes in place to ensure the health and safety of our people on campus. Key topics covered in the training include:

Physical distancing requirements

Capacity limits of our spaces

Cleaning of facilities and equipment

Hygiene

More information on our transition to campus is available on our COVID-19 hub.

22 June 2020 – 10.30am AEST

The Victorian Government has announced a tightening of restrictions following a spike of COVID-19 cases in the state.

These restrictions will be in place from 11.59pm, Sunday 21 June and include:

a maximum of five visitors to your home

outdoor gatherings will be limited to ten people

restaurants, pubs, auction halls, community halls, libraries, museums and places of worship will be restricted to a maximum of 20 people until 12 July

businesses set to open on 22 June (gyms, cinemas, theatres and TABs) can do so, but with a maximum of 20 people

those who can work from home must continue to do so at least until 31 July



19 June 2020 – 4pm AEST

The Australian Government has announced it will provide an additional 39,000 university places by 2023 to meet the expected increase in demand because of COVID-19.

University students who study in areas of expected employment growth will pay less for their degree as they are incentivised to make more job-relevant decisions about their education.

From 2021 students will pay:

62 per cent less to study agriculture and maths

46 per cent less to study teaching, nursing, clinical psychology, English and languages

20 per cent less to study health, architecture, environmental science, IT, and engineering

28 per cent more to study law and commerce

113 per cent more to study humanities

Current students will not be affected by the increased student contribution.

The proposal will require the approval of Parliament.

The government will also provide $900 million for a National Priorities and Industry Linkage Fund to incentivise universities to produce job-ready graduates that local industries and employers need.

10 June 2020 - 5pm AEST

Swinburne continues to exercise care and caution as we plan our transition to campus.

To protect the health of our community and adhere to government directives, online learning and assessments will continue to be the primary mode of delivery for the majority of teaching activities in 2020.

However, we are planning to safely transition some specific activities to campus to ensure students can continue to progress in their studies.

A small number of students with delayed practical activities and assessments from semester 1 will be contacted by their unit convenors about activities that will operate on campus in July.

Approximately 100 units will be scheduled for on-campus delivery in semester 2. There will be no online alternative for these learning activities, so students will need to attend campus in order to complete these activities.

A number of units will have selected learning activities transitioned to on-campus delivery. Students in these units will have the option to attend campus to participate in these activities if they wish.

Students will be advised to check their timetable in early-July to confirm any on-campus activities in their schedule.

Swinburne will implement strict health and hygiene protocols to ensure the safety of our students and staff, including extra cleaning, clear signage, and physical distancing requirements. Students and staff should not attend campus if they are feeling unwell.

As we continue to support our students during this time, students will also be able to request to have results achieved after 1 April 2020 omitted from their GPA calculation. This is in addition to our ‘no recording of fails on transcripts’ policy which means fail grades will not count as part of a student’s GPA calculation (as of 1 April 2020).

More information on our transition to campus is available on our COVID-19 hub.

2 June 2020 - 2pm AEST

Swinburne is continuing careful planning for a staged and flexible transition to campus. At all times, the health, safety and wellbeing of our people is Swinburne’s top priority.

We are working through how to safely transition essential teaching activity to campus as soon as possible. However, online learning and assessment approaches will continue to be the primary delivery mode for the majority of teaching activities for the remainder of 2020. Students should expect to continue studying online for the immediate future.

Essential face-to-face learning activities that were postponed in semester 1 will be prioritised for on-campus delivery as soon as possible. Laboratories, practical classes, studios, specialist classes and general tutorials will be delivered on-campus for winter term and semester 2 (Higher Education) and the July/August teaching periods (Vocational Education). These are subject to risk assessments and capacity across our campus spaces. Students will be contacted by their unit convenors or teachers with any changes to their delivery mode.

Staff have been asked to continue working from home if they are able to, in line with Victorian government advice. We expect most staff will need to continue to work from home in some form throughout winter.

Essential student facilities and campus services, such as study and library spaces, will gradually reopen from the beginning of June.

Our Latelabs at Hawthorn and Croydon are open as of Monday 1 June. Our Wantirna Latelab will be opening from Monday 8 June.



Some face-to-face services will be available in time for winter term (22 June), such as student ID card services, library spaces, loans and returns, and essential health and wellbeing services. By semester 2, some further student facilities such as full library services and studentHQ services, Student Life club activities and prayer rooms may be open.

The latest information on our transition to campus will be updated on Swinburne’s COVID-19 hub.

21 May 2020 – 4pm AEST

Swinburne is carefully planning for a staged and flexible transition to campus.

At all times, the health, safety and wellbeing of our people is Swinburne’s top priority. Our approach will be in line with government requirements, including appropriate physical distancing and hygiene practices, and guided by our own formal risk assessments.

Our top priorities for access to campus are:

Practical teaching that cannot be conducted remotely

Research that requires specific facilities to proceed

Essential student-facing staff and student facilities, such as study spaces

We expect that most professional staff will not transition to campus in the immediate future and have asked staff to continue to work from home if they are able to.

Swinburne will share details with students and staff as plans are finalised.

19 May 2020 – 11am AEST

Today the Victorian Government has announced it will make an unprecedented investment in local universities to support the state’s economic rebound from the coronavirus pandemic.

This Victorian Higher Education State Investment Fund provides $350 million to support universities with capital works, applied research and research partnerships. The works will focus on new technology and infrastructure, enabling universities to conduct new research, commercialise Intellectual Property and create high-value jobs.

‘This investment not only supports our universities through this crisis, it ensures we have a strong Higher Education sector as we move to recovery’, says Victoria’s Minister for Higher Education, Gayle Tierney.

Also announced, the government will offer universities payroll tax deferrals valued at around $110 million. This is intended to provide immediate relief for universities dealing with a shortfall in funds from the downturn of international student enrolments and other revenue loss as a result of COVID-19. The government expects universities to use this funding to retain as many staff as possible, so that Victorian universities are well-placed to drive the revival of the state’s economy out of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Today’s funding is in addition to the $260.8 million announced by the government last month to support the TAFE and training system, and the $55 million in maintenance works at TAFE as part of the $2.7 billion Building Works package.

11 May 2020 – 2pm AEST

The Victorian state government has announced a gradual easing of restrictions with a focus on ensuring the safety of all Victorians.

Starting 11.59pm on Tuesday 12 May the following changes will be introduced in the state:

outdoor gatherings of up to 10 people will be permitted

indoor gatherings at home will be allowed, with up to five visitors in your home

outdoor recreational activities are allowed; however, these activities are limited to 10 people and physical distancing measures must be practiced

for weddings, 10 guests are allowed, plus the couple and celebrant

for funerals, 20 people will be allowed at an indoor ceremony and 30 people at an outdoor ceremony. This is in addition to the minimum people required to conduct the funeral

religious gatherings and ceremonies will be permitted with up to 10 people in addition to those required to perform the ceremony

These new restrictions and a renewed State of Emergency will be in place until 11.59pm on Sunday 31 May.