How should I interpret “within or outside Australia” in the definition of a critical incident?
A The Explanatory Guide for Standard 6.4 states: “The National Code defines critical incident as ‘a traumatic event, or the threat of such (within or outside Australia), which causes extreme stress, fear or injury’”. Critical incidents are not limited to, but could include: • missing students • severe verbal or psychological aggression • death, serious injury or any threat of these • natural disaster • issues such as domestic violence, sexual assault, drug or alcohol abuse. If any of these events affected a student – or a member of their family – while they were living in Australia this would constitute a critical incident if these incidents were noted in your own Critical Incident Policy. The Virginia Tech massacre is an example of a critical incident that involves students being affected by an event occurring outside Australia. At the time Virginia Tech students studying in Australia needed to return home urgently. Q How elaborate should my critical incident policy be? A Standard 6.4
