Survey Information and Consent Form

  1. What is the research study about?
    This research study explores the circumstances and experiences of being stopped by police in Victoria. All stop experiences, positive, negative or neutral are useful to this research. You have been invited because you have responded to an email, social media post or poster at a library or through the extended networks of community legal centres and legal and community networks in Victoria.

  2. Who is conducting this research?
    The study is being conducted by the following researchers: Professor Janet Chan, Dr Victoria Sentas, Professor David Dixon and PhD student Tamar Hopkins at the Law School at the University of New South Wales. The researchers acknowledge the assistance of the Flemington & Kensington Community Legal Centre, Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service and other CLCs and community agencies in the promotion of this research.

  3. Inclusion/Exclusion Criteria
    To participate in this study, you must be:

    • 18 years or older
    • Have been stopped by a member of Victoria Police and/or a Victorian Protective Service Officer at some stage in the last 10 years.

  4. Do I have to take part in this research study?
    Participation in any research study is voluntary. If you do not want to take part, you do not have to. If you decide you want to take part in the research study, you will be asked to:

    • Read this information carefully (ask questions if necessary);
    • Complete an online questionnaire.

  5. What does participation in this research require, and are there any risks involved?
    If you decide to take part in the research study, we will ask you to complete an online questionnaire. The questionnaire will ask you questions about the most recent time you were stopped by a Victoria police officer while in a vehicle or as a pedestrian. It should take approximately 10 to 20 minutes to complete depending on the complexity of your experience. We don’t expect this questionnaire to cause any harm or discomfort, however if you experience feelings of distress as a result of participation a list of services that might be able to assist you appear at the end of survey.

  6. What are the possible benefits to participation?
    We plan to use information we get from this research study to inform legal and law reform strategies to reduce unnecessary police contact.

  7. What will happen to information about me?
    Your answers to this survey are anonymous. By clicking on to the survey link below, you provide your permission for the research team to collect and use anonymous information about you for the research study. Your data will be kept for a period of 7 years after the project’s completion.

  8. How and when will I find out what the results of the research study are?
    The research team intend to publish and/ report the results of the research study in a variety of ways. All information published will be done in a way that will not identify you. If you would like to receive a copy of the results you can let the research team know by inserting your email address into a separate survey you will be prompted to during the questionnaire. We will only use these details to send you the results of the research.

  9. What if I want to withdraw from the research study?
    If you do consent to participate, you may withdraw at any time. You can do this by closing the questionnaire. If you withdraw from the research we will destroy any information that has already been collected. Once you have submitted the questionnaire however, we will not be able to withdraw your responses as the questionnaire is anonymous.

  10. What should I do if I have further questions about my involvement in the research study?
    The person you may need to contact will depend on the nature of your query. If you require further information regarding this study or if you have any problems which may be related to your involvement in the study, you can contact the following member/s of the research team:
    Research Team Contact

    Name Victoria Sentas
    Position Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Law
    Telephone (02) 93852227
    Email V.Sentas@unsw.edu.au

    If at any stage during the study you become distressed or require additional support from someone not involved in the research please call:

    • Your doctor
    • Lifeline Tel. 13 11 14 (24 hours, 7 days)
    • Women’s Information and Referral Service 1300 134130
    • Sexual Assault Crisis Line (Victoria) 1800 806 292
    • Australian Counselling Association Tel. 1300 784 333
    • Mental Health Foundation of Australia (Victoria) Tel. (03) 9826 1422
    • Psychotherapy and Counselling Federation of Australia (PACFA) – register of psychotherapists and counsellors Tel. (03) 9486 3077

    These services may be able to provide you with a referral to a counsellor or psychologist. It is important to get help if you are experiencing any ongoing distress.

  11. 11. What if I have a complaint or any concerns about the research study?
    If you have a complaint regarding any aspect of the study or the way it is being conducted, please contact the UNSW Human Ethics Coordinator:
    Complaints Contact

    Position Human Research Ethics Coordinator
    Telephone + 61 2 9385 6222
    Email humanethics@unsw.edu.au
    HC Reference Number HC180500

Declaration by the participant

  • I understand I am being asked to provide consent to participate in this research study;
  • I have read this webpage containing the information and consent information;
  • I provide my consent for the information collected about me to be used for the purpose of this research study only.
  • I understand that if necessary I can ask questions and the research team will respond to my questions.
  • I freely agree to participate in this research study as described and understand that I am free to withdraw at any time during the study and withdrawal will not affect my relationship with the Flemington & Kensington Community Legal Centre, Victorian Aboriginal Legal Service, UNSW, Professor Janet Chan, Dr Victoria Sentas, Professor David Dixon or Tamar Hopkins
  • I understand that I can download the full version of this consent form from Survey Information And Consent Form.

By clicking on the button below you consent to participate in this survey. This survey may take up to 20 minutes. Please give yourself enough time.

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