Advocacy bodies have urged the commonwealth to urgently establish Australia’s first independent student watchdog in an attempt to tackle sexual violence and address safety fears on campuses.
On Tuesday, at a special meeting with education ministers, a working group – formed this year after backlash over the tertiary sector’s response to sexual assault, sexual harassment and gendered violence – called for the establishment of a national ombudsman.
But the ministers fell short of adopting the plan, which was made public on Wednesday – instead announcing a consultation period until 31 January.
The federal education minister, Jason Clare, said ministers would seek feedback from stakeholders and the broader community, adding: “All students and staff should feel and be safe on campus and in residential colleges.”
The working group’s head Patty Kinnersly, the chief executive of Our Watch, which works to prevent violence against women and children, said she had hoped ministers would adopt the plan on Tuesday.
“Consultation with experts over last 10 weeks has been an important part of the process,” she said. “The [plan] captures the voices of a lot of people.”
A Senate inquiry found the sector failed to provide adequate support to those who had faced sexual violence.
The latest national student safety survey, released during Covid lockdowns in 2021, found that one in 20 students had been sexually assaulted since starting university, and one in six had reported being sexually harassed. Men made up 84% of alleged perpetrators.
“The experiences of students – mostly women – over long period of time, are frankly shocking,” Kinnersly said. “You cannot help but be moved by people going to university to learn … setting up the rest of their lives and that changing in an instant – to not feel they’re being respected or valued does a lot of damage.”
The plan outlined seven key actions, including a whole-of-institution approach to prevent gender-based violence upheld by a national higher education code, and an independent watchdog which would have investigative powers.
It would be able to recommend vice-chancellors or executives took “specific administrative steps” to resolve complaints.
The deputy Greens leader and the party’s spokesperson on education, Senator Mehreen Faruqi, said sexual violence on campus was “widespread and systemic”.
“The ombudsman must have real teeth, be properly resourced and have solid enforcement powers, so the failures of universities and [the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency] are not repeated,” she said.
The Coalition’s education spokesperson, Senator Sarah Henderson, also supported the ombudsman plan.
But Universities Australia, the peak body for the sector, expressed concern that its powers would reach too far. “The remit of the proposed ombudsman seemingly extends beyond the issue of student safety to include Hecs administration and course administration,” said UA’s chief executive, Catriona Jackson. “This would constitute a significant reform and detailed examination is appropriate.
“It would be inefficient to create duplication and overlap with existing regulation and regulatory bodies which deal with these issues. It’s important we get this right.”
Student advocacy bodies including Fair Agenda, the Stop Campaign, the National Union of Students and End Rape on Campus back the plan.
Bailey Riley, the NUS president , said if universities took the issue seriously, “as they have claimed to for the past seven years, they won’t have anything to worry about and will endorse the plan in its entirety”.
The founder of End Rape on Campus, Sharna Bremner, urged universities not to water down the interventions in the proposal.
“I understand the need for consultation,” she said. “We would’ve liked it to happen a bit faster but after working on this issue for a decade … this is the first time I’ve really felt heard by decision makers.
“Nobody should underestimate how big this moment is. It’s something students have been fighting for for decades and could change everything – universities just need to get out of the way.”
