Universities Australia has committed to a new national survey on campus sexual assault.

The new safety survey was announced this week, three years after the previous survey was administered.

The last edition garnered criticism for being carried out during pandemic-related lockdowns, when most students were off-campus.

The 2021 National Student Safety Survey (NSSS) revealed alarming statistics: one in 20 students reported experiencing sexual assault since enrolling in university, and an average of 275 students faced sexual assault within university settings weekly. 

One in six students reported instances of sexual harassment.

Professor David Lloyd, chairman of Universities Australia, says the group is determined to redesign and relaunch the survey in 2024. 

He said the group would move to involve individual universities in the effort to improve safety, due to their strong understanding of unique demographics and campus dynamics.
“We recognise that one-size-fits-all intervention strategies do not translate to broad benefit in this most difficult of domains,” Lloyd said.

The new survey is intended to help establish a solid foundation for measuring the effectiveness of interventions. 

Education Minister Jason Clare has stressed the urgency of addressing campus violence and lamented the insufficiency of actions taken by universities so far.

The commitment to the new survey coincides with the appointment of Our Watch CEO Patty Kinnersly as lead advisor to a working group dedicated to reviewing sexual assault on campuses and providing guidance on enhancing campus safety.