2023 Annual Report on Sexual Misconduct

Content warning: This report contains information about sexual assault and sexual harassment which you may find distressing.

The University has zero tolerance for any behaviour that is intimidating, abusive, discriminatory, disrespectful or threatening, including any instance of sexual harassment or assault. Any such behaviour within our community or on any of our campuses is unacceptable.  

This report captures key statistics and progress in the prevention and response to sexual misconduct at the University.

This second Annual Report presents data regarding disclosures and complaints made to the University in 2023 and details our many and varied actions to educate and engage with our community to prevent and respond to sexual misconduct. In developing this annual report we have consulted with our students to improve on our inaugural 2022 annual report.

It is important to note that this Annual Report presents data collected from 2023 only regarding disclosures and complaints made to the University.

In 2023, the University received 246 reports of sexual misconduct. Of the total reports, 123 (50%) reports were categorised as non–University related, 86 (35%) were categorised as University related conduct, 37 (15%) reports were classified as Unknown due to insufficient information provided.

Of the total 246 reports, 216 (87.8%) were classified as disclosures and 30 (12.2%) as complaints. The comparatively high proportion of disclosures can be attributed partly to the fact that 123 (50%) of all reports received were categorised as non–University related conduct, which cannot form the basis of a complaint.

In 2023, the University continued to deliver initiatives within the Roadmap to the Prevention of Sexual Misconduct (pdf, 127KB), which included:

• Focusing our efforts on improving awareness of the support that can be provided by the Safer Communities Office as well as promoting reporting options for the community. This included a refresh of the 'It’s all about consent' campaign to promote affirmative consent in digital spaces and active bystander intervention.
• Working with our students to streamline the Sexual Misconduct Online Reporting Form with the aim of improving accessibility and ease of navigation. This has resulted in a 191% increase in reports received via the form.
• Reviewing our policies and procedures that expressly state the University’s commitment to providing a safe, inclusive and respectful environment for our community.

It is encouraging to note that the actions we have taken to date have led to improvements in some areas. More members of our University community are seeking support and there is greater awareness about where to obtain support and how to make a disclosure or complaint. However, many issues of great concern remain. One case is one too many. To every person who has experienced sexual assault or sexual harassment, we are deeply sorry.

We thank those individuals for coming forward. Through reporting and sharing their experiences, they have helped us increase our understanding of the prevalence and nature of sexual misconduct experienced by members of our University community.

View the report

Access a copy of the report to view the full findings and initiatives completed in 2023. View the report (pdf, 4.2MB).