Thanks to collective efforts and years of work, there’s now a plan for safer unis. Here’s how…
Something massive just happened. Education Ministers just endorsed an Action Plan to address sexual violence in universities and other higher education settings that will be transformative for students and victim-survivors. It will finally disrupt the system that has allowed universities and residences to put student safety and wellbeing at risk.
This commitment will deliver the independent oversight and accountability that advocates have been calling for, for years.
This is the culmination of tireless efforts spanning more than half a century - by victim-survivors, students and advocates across the country who have relentlessly campaigned for improved sexual assault prevention and responses in Australian universities and residences. It’s a testament to the strength and perseverance of those who have courageously spoken out against harmful university responses to reports of sexual violence, and to the collective advocacy of so many people, over so many years.
Creating lasting change takes time, and demands a collective commitment to challenge the status quo. Reform of this magnitude is never the result of the actions of one individual or one organisation. Fair Agenda are proud to be among the victim-survivors, students, academics, advocates, sexual assault services, policy makers, donors and journalists who have helped to secure safer campuses, for all students. Thank you to every single person who has been involved in making this change possible.
We could never fully capture the scale of contributions that have made this possible - but in celebrating this outcome, we also wanted to celebrate the efforts of the many people who helped to make this reform possible. It’s a reminder that when we work together, we are powerful, and we can build a better future.
What this means for students & staff
The Action Plan delivers four critical and inter-related reforms:
Meaningful national standards
A National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence will create rules for universities and residences. It will cover the provision of evidence-based prevention education, and mean that if a student needs to report sexual assault or harassment, their uni will be required to meet national standards in how that process works, what they do once a report is made, and what supports they should be providing to student survivors.
A functional complaints mechanism
A new National Student Ombudsman will be able to receive and action complaints from students who don’t receive an appropriate response from their education providers when reporting sexual assault or harassment. In making a finding the Ombudsman will also have the power to recommend that the student’s educational institution take steps to resolve complaints, such as refunding or re-crediting fees, and/or making changes to provider policies, practices and processes.
Transparency
The federal Education Minister and federal parliament will require universities and residences to report to them annually on things like: sexual assault and harassment disclosures and reports, victim-survivor satisfaction with reporting pathways and processes, disciplinary processes and outcomes.
Independent oversight and accountability
The higher education sector’s implementation of the new National Code will be led by an expert unit in the Department of Education, which will provide reporting, and undertake targeted compliance activities - putting us on track to see institutions finally held to account.
Critically, the Draft Action Plan emphasises the need to continue engaging and consulting with sexual violence prevention and response experts, students and victim-survivors - which is vital to making sure approaches are fit for purpose into the future.
Scroll to see some of the many contributions that made this historic reform possible
2023
Advocates and experts brief Education Ministers on the importance of supporting the Draft Action Plan for reform
From top left: Sharna Bremner, Founder and Director of End Rape on Campus; Dr Allison Henry, Research Fellow at Australian Human Rights Institute at UNSW. From bottom left: Patty Kinnersley from Our Watch; Camille Schloeffel from the STOP Campaign; Renee Carr from Fair Agenda provide a virtual briefing to federal, state and territory Education Ministers - sharing their insights into the importance of supporting independent oversight and accountability on sexual violence in university communities.
Advocates deliver messages from lived experience and community advocates and build political support for strong action
Pictured above: Renee Carr and Dani Villafaña from Fair Agenda; Isabel, student advocate; Camille Schloeffel from The STOP Campaign; and Dr Allison Henry from the UNSW Human Rights Institute briefed a number of Ministers, MPs and Senators on the issue of sexual violence on campus in October 2023. Those briefed included: Education Minister Jason Clare, Minister for Women Katy Gallagher, Assistant Minister for Social Services and the Prevention of Family Violence Justine Elliot, Senator Nita Green, Senator Sarah Henderson, Senator Paul Scarr, Senator Larissa Waters, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, Zoe Daniel MP, Kate Chaney MP and Allegra Spender MP.
A Senate Inquiry reaffirms advocates calls for intervention
The Department of Education creates a Gender-based Violence Stakeholder Reference Group to advise on reforms to address sexual violence in universities
The group advises the cross-jurisdictional working group established by Education Minister Jason Clare. It includes students Camille Schloeffel of The STOP campaign, Bailey Riley of National Union of Students and Yegenah Soltanpour of Council of International Students. Also appointed are Sharna Bremner of End Rape on Campus Australia, Renee Carr of Fair Agenda, Dr Allison Henry of the Australian Human Rights Institute at UNSW and others.
The Interim University Accords Report recommends sexual violence be addressed as a priority area for immediate action
Advocates keep making the case for change, to get this issue to the top of the agenda.
Representatives of The STOP campaign launch the #IDeserveSafety campaign at parliament house, with members of the crossbench.
End Rape on Campus Australia, Fair Agenda & 44 other signatories including student reps, sexual assault services, women's safety, legal & health services release an open letter to the Albanese Government calling for action.
Journalists keep the issue on the agenda.
Journalists keep the issue on the agenda.
Advocates and academics make so. many. submissions.
2022
Fair Agenda asks election candidates to pledge to act for a safer future (including at universities). Secures commitments from a majority of MPs and Senators elected to the new parliament.
The efforts and concerns of advocates are raised year after year in Senate Estimates hearings.
The National Student Safety Survey (conducted in 2021) is released. It shows universities have not achieved meaningful improvements to student safety since 2017.
2021
Students, survivors and advocates continue to advocate for change while dealing with the impacts of the coronavirus pandemic
2020
End Rape on Campus Australia keep supporting student survivors who are trying to navigate harmful and traumatising university processes.
Fair Agenda’s 4th annual survey of residences shows some improvements, but not nearly enough.
The National Union of Students’ Women’s Department keeps this issue on the agenda on campuses
Student leaders talk to students around the country about how universities and the government can do better on sexual assault on campus.
2019
Advocates ask the major parties to commit to a taskforce on uni sexual violence at the 2019 election
Students around the country continue to rally support for a taskforce on campus sexual violence
2018
An advocacy coalition secures an election commitment from Shadow Education Minister Tanya Plibersek in 2018
Media continue to cover the issue
Many brave victim-survivors and student representatives speak up and shared their experiences.
A campaign coalition works with Education Minister Birmingham on reform
Representatives from the campaign coalition meet with then Education Minister Birmingham. From left: Allison Henry, The Hunting Ground Australia Project; Renee Carr, Fair Agenda; Kate Crossin, National Union of Students; Education Minister Simon Birmingham, and Sharna Bremner, End Rape on Campus Australia. The group worked productively with then Education Minister Birmingham’s office and were developing a plan for a Taskforce to improve student safety in this area.
Al Jazeera screens an investigation into how international students are impacted by rape on campus
The film “Australia: Rape on Campus” is created by Aela Callan and Nina Funnell.
A coalition of advocates launch a joint call for an independent taskforce hold universities accountable on sexual violence
End Rape on Campus Australia, Fair Agenda, the National Union of Students and The Hunting Ground Australia Project jointly launch a campaign for a taskforce that can deliver independent oversight and accountability when universities fail students on issues of sexual violence.
The key criteria for this reform have been carried through until now - and delivered against in the Action Plan just endorsed by Education Ministers around the country.
NUS Women’s Department drive the We Will Not Be Silent campaign, and students protest uni approaches to sexual violence at universities around the country.
Sexual assault services speak out
The Red Zone Report focuses a spotlight on horrifying culture in many residences.
Created by Nina Funnell, Anna Hush and Sharna Bremner of End Rape on Campus Australia, the report provides 200 pages of shocking evidence about sexual violence in residences around the country.
2017
Journalist Nina Funnell makes sure this issue dominates the news headlines
Journalist and End Rape on Campus Australia Director Nina Funnell wrote 52 articles in 52 weeks shining a spotlight on this issue in 2017.
Hundreds of students come together at universities around the country to fight against university inaction on rape on campus.
Australian Human Rights Centre at UNSW, led by Professor Andrea Durbach, develops a good practice guide for universities.
Showing what’s possible, and the approaches that universities and residences can and should be implementing for student safety.
The Australian Human Rights Commission releases the first national student safety data
This survey was proved the scale of the problem students have been talking about for years.
It only happened as a result of seed funding and advocacy by The Hunting Ground Australia Project.
Alongside this new data, advocates speak out about the harmful actions and approaches of universities and residences.
Activists at the NOWSA conference gather outside Parliament House to protest rape on campus
They call for better reporting mechanisms, vicarious trauma training for staff, and well-funded, accessible support services for survivors.
End Rape On Campus Australia takes the first complaint about uni failures on sexual violence to the Tertiary Education Quality & Standards Agency.
End Rape On Campus Australia ensures Women’s Officers are supported with training alongside the national student survey
Women’s Officers are often the first person survivors turn to on campus. In early 2017, End Rape on Campus Australia ensured that alongside the student safety survey, Women’s officers at universities would receive free training from experts at sexual assault services in how to respond to disclosures of sexual assault, and also to manage vicarious trauma.
The Hunting Ground documentary is broadcast nationally on ABC.
To mark the broadcast, the Guardian convene a panel to discuss the issue of sexual violence in Australian university communities.
This panel features students, campaigners, and a representative from rape support services. It featured The Hunting Ground Producer Amy Ziering; The Hunting Ground Australia Project Campaign Director Allison Henry; Karen Willis OAM, then Executive Director of Rape & Domestic Violence Services Australia; Anna Hush, then an Honours student and staff member at the University of Sydney and ambassador for End Rape on Campus Australia; Katie Thorburn, then co-Women’s Officer at the University of Sydney Student Representative Council; and Mariam Mohammed, then Co-President of Sydney University Postgraduate Representative Association (SUPRA) and founder of the Survivors Network.
Fair Agenda publishes the results of their first survey asking residences what training they provide to prevent sexual violence
2016
Experts at sexual assault service the Full Stop Foundation adapt ethics and consent training programs for the uni context
The Hunting Ground Australia Project engaged sexual assault service experts to adapt existing ethics and consent training programs for the Australian university context, to provide universities with good practice options to deliver to staff and students. The process was led by the late Professor Moira Carmody, a recognised international expert on sexual assault prevention education, Karen Willis OAM, the then Executive Officer of Rape and Domestic Violence Services Australia, and Associate Professor Kath Albury from UNSW.
2015
The Hunting Ground Australia Project tours their powerful documentary at campuses around the country
Good Pitch gathers philanthropic support to invest in advocacy, resource development and data collection to address sexual violence in universities in Australia.
Good Pitch Australia - hosted by the Shark Island Institute and Documentary Australia, in partnership with Philanthropy Australia and Pro Bono Australia - secures philanthropic support from many generous donors, to support efforts to address sexual violence in university contexts. This includes support for advocacy, resource development and helps secure the first national survey of incidence of sexual violence across all Australian universities.
The 2015 Good Pitch Australia event also launches the implementation phase of The Hunting Ground Australia Project - a key partner in the campaign for independent oversight and accountability of universities on this issue.
End Rape on Campus Australia launches - the first dedicated national advocacy organisation focused on this issue
Inspired by the US sister organisation, in 2015 Sharna Bremner founds EROC Australia - a dedicated advocacy org for students impacted by sexual violence in university contexts. The volunteer-led organisation will go on to provide support to student survivors for over 9 years.
2011
The National Union of Students releases their first report into gender-based violence in university communities
And for decades before that, victim-survivors and student leaders were speaking out, rallying and calling for action for safer campuses.
Thank you to every single person who has been involved in making this change possible!
