The vice-chancellor of Bond University has apologised to students who have been sexually assaulted on campus.
Bond University has the highest reported prevalence of sexual assault among students since they started studying, according to the National Student Safety Survey of Australia's 39 major universities.
The survey found that 13.2 per cent of students surveyed at Bond said they had been sexually assaulted — almost three times the national average of 4.5 per cent.
Vice-chancellor Tim Brailsford has apologised to victim-survivors.
"To the students that have suffered through any incident, which is just completely unacceptable, I say sorry," Professor Brailsford said.
"This is a scourge on society and … universities are not exempt.
'Unacceptably high' numbers
In an email to students and staff on Wednesday, Professor Brailsford revealed 452 Bond students responded to the survey.
Of those, he said 113 students (25 per cent) had experienced sexual harassment, with 93 of those in the past 12 months.
59 students (13.2 per cent) had reported being sexually assaulted, 42 in the past 12 months.
Professor Brailsford said he was "shocked" by the report.
"These are unacceptably high numbers," he said.
"Any number above zero is unacceptable in this regard."
He said of those students who reported sexual harassment, 71.7 per cent knew the perpetrator.
New 'task force'
In 2017, Bond University was at the top of a similar Human Rights Commission Report, the fifth-worst university for sexual assault in the country at the time.
In his email to students and staff, Professor Brailsford said the context "makes the results of this survey all the more shocking".
"Despite our efforts, these data show that we have not made as much progress as we thought we had on reducing incidents of sexual harassment and sexual assault," he said.
"I thank all the students who took part in the survey, particularly those who shared their painful experiences."
Professor Brailsford said he will establish a task force "to oversee an inquiry, review and reform" as early as next week.
Professor Brailsford will not be part of the task force, but it will report to him.
It is hoped the group will report back by the middle of the year.
"So we'll have recommendations that will be implemented well before our third semester," he said.
Other university responses will include an immediate review of the institute's reporting services, and additional specialised training to residential fellows, security officers, and other staff.
