From Problem to Impact

The 2017 Change the Course survey found that 38% of ANU students had experienced sexual harassment in a university setting in 2016, yet only 3% formally reported their most recent incident. A subsequent 2018 review of student residences found that 38% of student leaders had received disclosures of sexual assault or sexual harassment, while only 21% of students had received consent education upon arrival. 

By 2021, the prevalence of sexual harassment experienced by ANU students had decreased by 23.5 percentage points — exceeding the national reduction of 17.9 percentage points — and disclosures of sexual misconduct declined gradually following the introduction of dedicated prevention, reporting and support initiatives. 

What actions did ANU deliver?

• Established dedicated gender-based violence prevention and response functions, including the Respectful Relationships Unit (2019), the Student Safety and Wellbeing team (2021), and the Staff Respect Consultant role (2023), strengthening prevention education, incident response pathways, and trauma-informed support. 

• Developed a comprehensive suite of policies, reporting mechanisms and support resources, including the Sexual Violence Prevention Strategy 2019–2026, a Sexual Misconduct Policy, a Harmful Behaviours Disclosure Tool, annual Sexual Misconduct Reports and Disclosures, and trauma-informed guidance for staff and students. 

• Implemented the Rights, Relationships and Respect (RRR) education program and associated bystander intervention initiatives, providing evidence-based prevention education to students, HDR candidates, supervisors and staff to improve understanding of gender-based violence, challenge harmful attitudes, and build confidence to intervene safely.