Unis to quiz students over campus sex abuse

Universities Australia is about to embark on a major survey on student safety on campus in the wake of allegations that the University of Queensland mishandled sexual harassment complaints.

Universities Australia chief executive Catriona Jackson.

Universities Australia is about to embark on a major survey on student safety on campus in the wake of allegations that the University of Queensland mishandled sexual harassment complaints.

The higher education sector’s peak body will ask hundreds of thousands of randomly selected students about their experience with sexual misconduct on ­campus and their thoughts on how universities can better protect them from harassment and ­assault.

Universities Australia’s 2021 National Student Safety Survey comes in the midst of allegations from female former students at UQ, who say the university failed to take seriously their allegations that a male student stalked and ­assaulted them on campus.

The peak body’s chief executive, Catriona Jackson, would not comment on the UQ allegations but said the whole sector was ready to take further action to protect students.

“Since the first National Student Safety Survey, universities have implemented a further 800 major actions to prevent and respond to sexual violence in their institutions. This includes improving how universities respond to victims and survivors,” she said.

“To guide further action, every university has a dedicated, expert-informed committee to address sexual violence at their institution and has developed close partnerships with external specialist sexual violence groups.

“In keeping with the university sector’s long-term commitment to address gender-based violence, UA has funded the Social Research Centre, in partnership with associate professor Anastasia Powell, to conduct the second National Student Safety Survey in September 2021. This will inform universities’ next steps to achieve sustained change.”

The survey led by Dr Powell, a violence prevention expert, will start in September and Universities Australia will release the findings early next year.

The first survey in 2016 – run by Universities Australia and the Australian Human Rights Commission – found only 4 per cent of university students felt their universities provide enough support to alleged victims.

The second survey, five years on, was due to be conducted last year but was pushed back because of the pandemic. Sexual assault survivors have been involved in the formulation of questions with Dr Powell’s team.

Revelations at UQ have embroiled two Group of Eight vice-chancellors in the past week. Go8 chief executive Vicki Thomson would also not comment on the UQ allegations, but said all Go8 members had “a range of policies, programs and additional measures to ensure our university communities offer safe and respectful learning environments”.

“Any form of sexual violence is unacceptable,” Ms Thomson said. “Such behaviour goes to the core of the social licence for organisations such as ours that serve a ­national purpose.”

UQ vice-chancellor Deborah Terry, who is enacting change to the university’s sexual misconduct policies, apologised for the “deep distress” caused to victims whose complaints were mishandled.

Then vice-chancellor Peter Hoj, now at the University of Adelaide, conceded in a letter in 2018 that UQ’s handling of the complaint by student Isabel Martins – who alleges she was stalked and harassed on campus – could have been handled better

He this week apologised for comments he made at a student forum where he referred to her case as one of “she said/he said”.

The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency is facing a commonwealth ombudsman probe for taking two years to investigate claims of mishandling at UQ. The Weekend Australian reported UQ investigators had asked both women invasive questions, including what they were wearing and drinking.

Ms Martins alleges the male student stalked her, watched her shower and climbed on her balcony at a residential college to watch her. She eventually got a domestic violence order against him. The second student, who accused the male student of sexual assault on a campus rooftop in 2019, said he did not adhere to university ­orders not to go near her.

He denies both allegations.