The Aus Gov Has Shelved a Uni Sexual Assault Taskforce

Trigger Warning: This article discusses sexual assault.

A Human Rights Commission survey released last year revealed that universities around Australia had a problem.

The problem wasn't just that sexual harassment and assault was occurring on universities; unfortunately, most of us already knew that.

It was that despite there being an issue of sexual violence on many campuses, there was a considerable gap in what universities were doing to deal with reported cases as well as preventing future incidents.

While universities have tried to bridge this gap since the findings have been released, not everyone—some student unions, in particular—is convinced they are doing enough.

The government reportedly believed this too, and planned to create a taskforce to scrutinise universities. However, they've had to shelve this idea after the government's leadership debacle in August.

According to Fairfax Media, the previous Education Minister Simon Birmingham had prepared the terms of reference for the taskforce but once he was replaced by Dan Tehan, the idea was shelved.

But, Tehan has not entirely thrown the idea out. He told Fairfax that he will wait for TEQSA's (Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency; the university regulator) report on the matter.

"TEQSA are reviewing higher education provider responses to incidents of sexual assault and sexual harassment," Tehan's statement to Fairfax.

"I will make a decision about a taskforce once I have received TEQSA's review."

In the meantime, Tehan will focus his efforts on an inquiry into "freedom of speech" at universities after a critic, Bettina Arndt, of the sexual violence report faced protests from university students when she gave talks on campuses around Australia.

The latest news serves as a reminder of how far we still have to go.

Read more:

"A Long Way To Go": The Survey on Sexual Violence at Universities Is Only the Beginning

"Inexcusable": Student Unions Speak Out About New University Guidelines On Handling Sexual Violence

Sexual Assault on Campus: Have Aus Unis Improved Since Last Year's Eye-Opening Report?

Asking for Angela: What Are University Bars Doing to Combat Sexual Harassment on Campus?

Header Image: iStock.com/superjoseph