Independent Ombudsman to handle sexual assault, violence complaints at Aussie universities

The way sexual harassment and violence complaints are handled at Victorian universities are set for a major shake up.

The federal government will crack down on sexual harassment and violence at Australian universities by establishing a national watchdog to handle student complaints, Education Minister Jason Clare has announced.

Mr Clare met with state education ministers on Friday, where they agreed on an action plan to address gender-based violence at tertiary institutions.

The plan includes the establishment of an independent national student ombudsman who will investigate student concerns about their higher education provider, including matters relating to sexual harassment, assault and violence.

“According to a recent survey, one in 20 students experienced sexual assault since they started university and 1 in 6 have been sexually harassed,” Mr Clare said.

“Not enough has been done to tackle sexual violence in our universities and for too long students haven’t been heard. That now changes.”

Minister for Education Jason Clare announced a new action plan on Friday to tackle sexual harassment and violence at universities.

The functions of the Ombudsman include considering whether decisions and actions taken by providers are reasonable, recommending steps a provider should take to resolve a complaint and sharing information with relevant regulators for further compliance action if needed.

University staff and the National Tertiary Education Union have welcomed the action plan and independent Ombudsman role which National President Alison Barnes said “has the potential to make an enormous difference to the insidious scourge of sexual harassment at universities”.

“For years our union has been saying enough is enough, while university leaders have downplayed, ignored or even denied there was a problem in their institutions,” she said.

“We are now seeing governments taking concrete actions to stamp out sexual violence towards staff and students because of an abject failure by university bosses to do something.”

Meanwhile, Monash University Vice-Chancellor and President Sharon Pickering congratulated the federal government on its action plan.

“For our University, making our campuses safe, inclusive and welcoming places is embedded in everything we do – as they should be,” she said.

“We understand the power and importance of working together, and the ongoing opportunity to work collaboratively with the sector and students, to eliminate sexual harm and gender-based violence from our communities.”

The action plan comes after the Herald Sun reported female and non-binary academics were experiencing sexism at alarming rates, with staff reporting their male colleagues were interrupting them in meetings, speaking to them rudely and downplaying their accomplishments.

A survey by Griffith University found one in two women directly experienced sexual harassment from a senior co-worker at an Australian tertiary institution, while 90 per cent of academics have been the subject of sexism.

“56 per cent of respondents report being reprimanded and spoken rudely to by a male colleague, 92 per cent feel ignored … and 81 per cent endure the humiliation of being ‘put in their place’,” Griffith University Educational Research director Leonie Rowan said.

“There were such high numbers of people who were just having these as everyday experiences … which are all precursors to worse behaviours.”

Education ministers are also calling for equal funding at government schools.

Equal funding for government schools was also discussed at the Minister’s Meeting.

A joint statement from Victorian Education Minister Ben Carroll and NSW Education Minister Prue Car, said all states had been calling on the federal government to increase its funding by 5 per cent for government schools.

“Their agreement today to accelerate negotiations on this crucial matter is a positive step in the right direction,” the ministers said.

“Collectively, our priority is closing the funding gap for government schools – we are glad those negotiations will now proceed at pace.

“All students – no matter where they live, where they come from or where they go to school – deserve to attend a great school and get the best possible start in life. Students at government schools account for the majority of Australia’s school system – that’s why we are fighting for a commitment from the Commonwealth for full and fair funding.

“As the majority funders of the country’s public schools, states and territories expect that Commonwealth contributions better reflect the improved outcomes we’re all working towards for students in our public schools right across the country.”