Acting Education Minister Stuart Robert has written to universities, asking them to “sustain and increase” efforts to improve student safety on campus

This follows the Universities Australia survey of incidences of sexual assault/harassment.

Which is like what then education minister Simon Birmingham did following the first report, in 2017.

Senator Birmingham asked universities to advise regulator TEQSA, “their clear response to these findings, the actions they are taking, how they are upholding those standards.”

The minister added, “I expect the regulator to enforce the standards properly at every Australian university,” (CMM August 3 2017).

While different methodologies prevent comparing stats in the two, qualitative findings are similar.

People sexually assaulted/harassed “face a range of barriers, both structural and attitudinal, to reporting or seeking support following sexual assault or sexual harassment. In addition, students who did report were often unsatisfied with the response of their university,” (UA report 2017 – CMM August 2 2017).

“For many, the trauma of the original incident of sexual harassment and/or sexual assault was compounded by their university’s mishandling of their report, discouraging victims/survivors from pursuing the reporting process to it its conclusion” (UA report 2022, CMM March 24).