A screening of the film ‘The Hunting Ground’ – which documents the experience of sexual assault survivors Andrea Pino and Annie Clark – will be held on 16 August, as part of the Respect. Now. Always. campaign. Photo: Thomas Patterson.

Vice-Chancellor Professor S Bruce Dowton shares an important message about a national awareness campaign for Australian university campuses.

A national awareness campaign Respect. Now. Always. has been running since the start of the year to address sexual assault and harassment on Australian university campuses. The campaign was launched alongside the release of the documentary The Hunting Ground, which highlights issues of assault on United States college campuses.

While Australian universities are fundamentally different to the United States, results of a survey undertaken by the National Union of Students suggest that a quarter of students had unwanted sexual experiences last year.

I have been a prominent spokesperson for this campaign in my role as Vice-Chancellor, and I am committed to providing a work and study environment underpinned by values of dignity, respect and inclusion.

The Respect. Now. Always. project is a welcome addition to the existing initiatives at our University aimed at preventing harassment and assault.

As part of the project we will be screening the film The Hunting Ground for students, staff and the University community followed by a panel session involving student, counselling and Macquarie University representatives. This will be held on 16 August and I invite you all to attend. (Register here).

Our two-year project aims to improve our University’s capacity to prevent and respond to sexual violence incidences involving our students and staff, to raise awareness of sexual violence, and to improve mechanisms for incident reporting.

We are conducting sexual ethics awareness training for student representatives and staff to ensure our community is informed of their rights and responsibilities as members of the university community. This initiative is informed by the work of Professor Moira Carmody, a leading researcher and educator in the area of sexual ethics.

The project will investigate methods to embed respectful behaviour and sexual ethics education into our development of student leaders and to develop a comprehensive, accessible and effective approach in responding to incidents of sexual violence.

A standalone Sexual Assault Policy is in development that will accompany our existing Discrimination, Bullying and Harassment Prevention Policy.

This policy and details of counselling services and reporting channels is available on our dedicated online hub for staff and students.

Our University is a place of safety and respect for all who attend or visit, and I am committed to the success of this project. I urge you to attend the screening and panel session and support my goal in providing a welcoming and inclusive University environment.

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Register for the Respect. Now. Always. film screening and panel discussion.

Read more about Macquarie’s involvement in the Respect. Now. Always. campaign, or find out where you can get support if you – or someone you know – has experienced sexual assault.