2021 'National Student Safety Survey'

The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) welcomes the release today of the 2021 National Student Safety Survey (NSSS) findings, prepared by the Social Research Centre for Universities Australia, which outlines the nature and prevalence of sexual harassment and sexual assault at Australian universities. 

UTS Vice-Chancellor Andrew Parfitt thanked all UTS students who participated in the survey, and said the report would inform and accelerate practical changes to safeguard the physical and emotional wellbeing of students. He acknowledged that today was a hard day particularly for victim-survivors. 

“We are committed to creating a university environment free from sexual harassment and sexual assault,” said Professor Parfitt. “Our goal is to ensure that every UTS student is safe and feels safe and supported, and is treated with respect, dignity and fairness.  

“While much work has already been done, particularly through the UTS Respect. Now. Always. program, we recognise that there is more to do. Even one instance of sexual assault or sexual harassment is one too many.” 

The NSSS builds on the 2016 national survey, conducted by the Australian Human Rights Commission.  

Since then, UTS has established a number of initiatives to tackle sexual assault and sexual harassment including:  

• Reinforcing student and staff support services  
• Expanding capacity building for its community with the rollout of programs such as Consent Matters, eSafety training and Trauma-Informed Design Research training   
• Updating policies and procedures 
• Co-designing a culture change framework with the UTS community  
• Implementing a whole of university culture change program through its Respect.Now.Always. campaign work, including a Student Safety UX Web Improvement Project, becoming signatories of the Greater Sydney Women's Safety Charter and membership of the newly formed National Women’s Safety Alliance.   

The report contains data that shows the prevalence of sexual assault and sexual harassment at universities remains comparable with that in the wider community for the relevant demographic groups, and the insights will help UTS see where there are meaningful signs of progress and change, and where new opportunities exist to make an impact.  

The national report is available here. 

Its findings include: 

• 16.1% of respondents reported they had experienced sexual harassment since starting university. 
• 8.1% of survey respondents reported they had experienced sexual harassment in the previous 12 months. 
• 4.5% of respondents reported they had experienced sexual assault since starting university. 
• 1.1% of survey respondents reported they had experienced sexual assault in university settings in the previous 12 months.* 

The UTS institutional summary is available here. 

Figures provided to UTS by the Social Research Centre, based on 1,151 survey responses from UTS students, showed: 

• 14.3% of respondents from UTS reported they had experienced sexual harassment since starting university. 
• 7.2% of survey respondents from UTS reported they had experienced sexual harassment in the previous 12 months. 
• 4% of respondents from UTS reported they had experienced sexual assault since starting university. 
• 1.6% of survey respondents from UTS reported they had experienced sexual assault in university settings in the previous 12 months.* 

The survey results will inform ongoing efforts at UTS to ensure a safe, equitable and inclusive learning environment for its diverse student communities. 

“Today we are hosting a whole of university event to discuss the report with our staff and students. We will examine these results and engage with our community to determine the next steps, but for now we will continue our ongoing efforts and progress new initiatives including: 

• Building upon previous research with our student community to understand their views and experiences, including exploring new insights provided by the NSSS, such as online prevalence 
• Introducing a support and resource toolkit for university clubs and society leaders  
• Upskilling staff and student leaders with a series of training programs including:   
• Fullstop Australia’s: Sex, Safety & Respect: educators train the trainer 
• Consent Labs workshops for student leaders  

“UTS has an important role to play not only in providing a safe environment for students, but also in educating and influencing the behaviours and attitudes of the next generation, and in supporting research that creates positive social change,” said Professor Parfitt. 

UTS recognises that the conversations about the NSSS and its results can be distressing for members of our university and wider community.  If you are a UTS staff member or student and would like to speak to somebody for support, we encourage you to reach out to UTS’s free counselling support or specialist support services available within the community. 

Alternatively, you can reach out to a number of free services across Australia including:  

• 1800RESPECT:  Phone and online counselling for people impacted by sexual assault, domestic or family violence and abuse, available 24/7. 
• Lifeline:  Phone and online confidential crisis support, available 24/7. 
• QLife : Phone and online support and referral service for LGBTIQ+ people, available 3pm to midnight in your time zone. 
• MensLine Australia: Phone and online counselling service for men, available 24/7. 
• Beyond Blue: Phone and online mental health counselling and advice, available 24/7. 

*Asterisk denotes that Relative Standard Error of this result is between 25 and 50 per cent, meaning it is publicly reportable, but should be used with caution