The first nationwide survey on university students’ experiences of sexual assault and sexual harassment is being launched today by Universities Australia and the Australian Human Rights Commission today.

All 39 of Australia’s universities will be included, as part of Universities Australia's Respect. Now. Always campaign that launched this year.

“Sexual assault and violence against women and students generally on university campuses has been an issue for a really long time,” 23-year-old Heidi La Paglia, Women's Officer for the National Union of Students told Hack.

This national survey is the first real collaborative step that has been taken between universities and students as well as the AHRC to move forward on the issue.

“We’re just really glad that a number of important bodies are now working together to move forward. The fact that it has taken so long, you could call that ‘frustrating’ in the process, but it’s still a victory.”

We already know that sexual harassment is a massive issue in uni campuses across Australia. Stories Hack and the ABC have reported, are the incidences we know about: there was a sexual assault survivor calling for university colleges to be shut down, after a “slut-shaming” journal was exposed at USYD; there was the Facebook page that rated female university students from Melbourne University; and there was video from UNSW showing Baxter College students singing a chant that “glorified rape” - which its own college President later denounced as “appalling”.

Beyond that, statistics from a survey conducted by the National Union of Students last year painted a pretty damning picture of sexual harassment on campuses.

72.75 per cent of female university students surveyed by NUS said they’d experienced some form of sexual harassment or unwelcome sexual behaviour.

Professor Barney Glover, chair of Universities Australia and Vice Chancellor of Western Sydney University told Hack that the AHRC’s national survey is a response to issues raised by NUS.

[The NUS survey] illustrated that the students who responded to that survey clearly indicated that institutional responses to sexual assault and sexual harassment were not up to scratch.

“It showed more was needed to be done in a whole range of ways, and the sector is responding to that. But we really need to undertake a much more comprehensive sector-wide survey to really understand the prevalence of sexual assault and sexual harassment, to understand what is working and what isn’t working in the way institutions respond.

“The prevalence survey is one step in that context, but it’s equally leadership across the sector, to say that we have a zero tolerance policy towards sexual assault and sexual harassment.”

The survey will be conducted in two parts by the Australian Human Rights Commission. First off, quantitative data will be collected from each university in Australia - in a staggered rollout to suit each university’s semesters - to figure out the scope and nature of sexual assault and harassment on campuses.

This part is conducted via random sampling - so not all students will be randomly selected to take part. Professor Glover says this approach will be nationally representative, with an aim of involving about 64,000 students.

The survey will also invite all university students across Australia to anonymously share their experiences of sexual assault or harassment. Students can begin those online submissions on the Australian Human Rights Commission website from today.

If you feel distress at any time during or after participating in this survey, support is available by calling 1800 RESPECT.