If a student has experienced sexual misconduct in the last 72 hours, it is important to advise them of the options of presenting to the hospital and/or reporting to the police about the incident (this is to preserve forensic evidence). Remember, this is an extremely distressing time for the student and all decisions regarding forensics and reporting lie with the student. It is important that the student is supported to have control of this decision andhowever they decide to proceed.

Visit NSW Health Local Sexual Assault Services for a list of available services.

Responding to and supporting someone who has experienced sexual misconduct can be complex, but chances are they have come to you because they trust you. They are the person who should decide what steps and supports are best for them, including if they want to report the incident to the University and/or the police. You can help them access the support services and resources they need.

Download the  Sexual Assault - Assisting Student Survivors (PDF, 41KB) factsheet for information on supporting students who disclose an incident of sexual misconduct.

A student should make a disclosure (rather than a complaint) of sexual misconduct if they do not want the University to investigate or  take any specific action in response to the incident. If a student chooses to make a disclosure of sexual misconduct, they can make a complaint to the University about the same incident later, if they wish.

A student should make a complaint (rather than a disclosure) of sexual misconduct if they want the University to investigate or to take specific action and the complaint is about University related conduct. The University cannot take disciplinary action against another student or a staff member unless the student makes a complaint. However, to minimise the potential for harm to the student or anyone else, the University may take interim measures against a student or staff member  in response to the sexual misconduct.

Staff can make a disclosure to the University on behalf of a student regarding sexual misconduct by logging in to the Sexual Misconduct Online Reporting form using their unikey. However, if the student wishes to make a complaint rather than a disclosure, then the student will need to do so themselves using the Online Reporting form. You can also refer them to the Safer Communities Office who can assist them to log their complaint on the Online Reporting form.

Making a disclosure or a complaint to the University using the Sexual Misconduct Online Reporting form is voluntary, however some fields are mandatory. Students will need to provide their Unikey to make an online disclosure or report, but it will be kept in a secure log separate from the disclosure or complaint. Their Unikey will not be visible to the specialist staff who view these reports unless the student wishes to provide this information

The information provided will assist the Safer Communities Office  at the University to understand the student's needs and provide support. Please note that in some limited circumstances we may need to retrieve the student’s Unikey to ensure their immediate safety, or that of other members of the University community, or to meet our legal obligations.

A staff member or another student can make an anonymous disclosure online on behalf of an affected student. The student can also call the Safer Communities Office on +61 2 8627 6808 or 1800 SYD HLP (1800 793 457) with their phone status set to 'private' or email [email protected] using a private email account. They may choose to create a new email address for the purposes of reporting an incident.

Disclosures of Sexual Misconduct are kept confidentially and securely stored with the Safer Communities Office.  Please note that students have the option to change this into a complaint at any time.Complaints of Sexual Misconduct are forwarded to the Student Affairs Unit after initial contact is made by the Safer Communities Office. Complaints may need to be forwarded to other units in the University, for resolution in accordance with the Student Sexual Misconduct Policy 2018.

The information provided in a complaint or disclosure is held in University systems which are maintained in accordance with the University's Information Security Policy. This service has additionally been independently verified to meet the University's relevant security standards. Access to these systems is limited to the staff of the University who need it to carry out their duties.

It may also be used by the University on a de-identified basis to identify trends and develop targeted responses to sexual misconduct in the University community, in accordance with the Student Sexual Misconduct Policy 2018. A student has the right to access and correct personal information about them held by the University. To access or amend their information , the student should contact the Safer Communities Office.

No. There is no legal requirement for you to report sexual misconduct to the police if the student does not want the information reported. However, if there are immediate safety issues that you are concerned about, please seek further advice from the Safer Communities Office. Safer Communities can be contacted on 8627 6808 or via email to [email protected] for advice. 

It is the student's choice whether they want to report the incident and who they want to report the incident to. Whether the incident took place on or off campus, they can make a report to a local police station. They can call in advance and ask to make a report to a detective. A student can also contact the Safer Communities Office if they would like support when around reporting to the police.

If they want to provide information to the police but don’t want to proceed with a formal investigation, they can provide details of the assault by completing the sexual assault reporting option (SARO) questionnaire (pdf, 1316KB). This can be done anonymously if they choose, but there will be no response from the police if they remain anonymous. The questionnaire does ask for details about the incident. It is recommended that the student has a support person to help them with this, as providing this information may be distressing. The questionnaire may be used to assist police to develop strategies which target offenders and protect the community.

Find more information on the reporting options available and what to expect from the NSW Police website.

There can be serious penalties for sexual misconduct. The current penalties for students who are found, through the University’s Complaints process, to have perpetrated sexual misconduct, are determined by the University of Sydney (Student Discipline) Rule 2016 . Staff who have been found to have perpetrated sexual misconduct towards a student are subject to the procedures regarding serious misconduct determined by the Enterprise Agreement.

If a student has been accused of sexual misconduct they should consult schedule 3 of the Student Sexual Misconduct Response Procedures 2018 for available support services.

Staff can access free, confidential counselling by contacting the University’s counselling and coaching provider, Converge International. Contact Converge on 1300 687 327, support is available 24/7. Staff may also engage with Staff Health Support Services for ongoing support at work. 

Staff can report an incident of sexual misconduct using the  Sexual Misconduct Online Reporting form as outlined in the Staff Sexual Misconduct Policy 2020. Please refer to Sexual misconduct support - Intranet - The University of Sydney for more information.