Flinders University is known as a great place to work and study, and this is thanks to our collective effort to develop a positive culture and a friendly, welcoming and safe campus environment. We all have a role in maintaining and constantly improving our environment – and part of this includes taking stock of what progress has been made.

The following message refers to campus safety – including sexual harassment and sexual assault –  which could be triggering for some. If so, support is available here.

Commissioned by Universities Australia, the National Student Safety Survey is being launched on Monday 6 September. This is the second survey of the higher education sector, being part of a commitment to reduce sexual harassment and sexual assault under the Respect. Now. Always. campaign.

The survey will ask 10,000 students at each university across the nation to take part. The data it collects about the scale and nature of sexual harassment and sexual assault experiences will help provide a safe environment for our students and staff.

Raising issues of sexual harassment and sexual assault can be difficult and challenging, and some students may approach you for support. If this happens, please remind the student that there are options for support available to them and Flinders offers a free and confidential counselling service with highly skilled counsellors. It is available to all students, including those studying online, and can be accessed here.

To encourage students to take part in the survey, University lecturers and tutors should please consider including this slide at the end of presentations during the survey period from 6 September to 3 October.

Staff are also reminded of the Responding to disclosures of sexual assault and sexual harassment training course, which is available on FLO. Ensuring staff are appropriately trained to respond to disclosures of sexual harassment or sexual assault is a key part of Flinders’ implementation of the  Respect. Now. Always. campaign – and it follows the recommendations of the national Change the Course report by the Australian Human Rights Commission (2017).

If you or someone you know has experienced sexual harassment or sexual assault, or you are concerned about an incident, you’re strongly encouraged to report it. Making a report does not initiate a complaint – it is the first step to offer support and a chance to talk through options.

Thanks to your ongoing support, we will work together and help ensure Flinders campuses are respectful, welcoming and safe for all.