Labor vows to tackle sexual harassment at universities

SBS News 30 November 2018

Labor is threatening to withhold funding from universities that fail to take serious action against sexual harassment and abuse, if it wins the next federal election, reports SBS News.

Labor deputy leader Tanya Plibersek wants to establish a three-year task force to ensure universities improve the way they respond to allegations of assault on campus. Universities that fail to make meaningful cultural change will risk having their public funding frozen. “It's not my intention to do that easily or lightly, but that is a last resort,” Plibersek told the ABC.

An Australian Human Rights Commission report found that in 2016, just over half of students had been sexually harassed on campus. “We've got a million students – that's over 500,000 people that have been harassed on campus,” Plibersek said. The report found 7% (70,000 students) had experienced sexual assault. “These numbers are enormous,” Plibersek said.
Full report on the SBS News site

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