National Student Safety Survey
Content warning: This page mentions sexual assault and harassment. At the University Of Newcastle, we understand that conversations around sexual harassment and sexual assault may be distressing for some people.
The University of Newcastle is committed to ensuring that any student who has been impacted by an experience of gender-based violence, sexual assault and/or sexual harassment is supported in a sensitive and trauma-informed way. If you would like to speak to someone, a range of support is available.
What is the National Student Safety Survey (NSSS)?
The 2026 National Student Safety Survey (NSSS) is a national survey of Australian university students about their perceptions and experiences of sexual violence and harm.
Participation is voluntary and confidential. If you choose to participate, your experiences and perspectives can help inform positive change and contribute to a safe and respectful culture for students on our campuses, in our online spaces and in our wider community. It is being conducted independently by Roy Morgan on behalf of Universities Australia.
The NSSS is for all eligible students, whether or not they have experienced sexual violence or harm. Every student’s perspective matters and helps build a clearer understanding of student experiences across Australian universities.
Timing
The national rollout is scheduled to commence from Monday 31 August 2026. University of Newcastle students will receive a unique survey link to their student email from Wednesday 2 September 2026.
FAQS
For the most up-to-date FAQs, please visit the NSSS website directly. We've also highlighted some key information below for your convenience:
- The University has now transitioned from a standalone action plan to a whole-of-institution approach that embeds prevention, response, accountability and culture change across the student lifecycle and broader university community.
- Staff and students undertake mandatory Respect Matters education which relates to sexual assault, sexual harassment and respectful behaviours.
- Our Campus Care team continues to dedicate specialist support to the student and staff communities in responding to disclosures and formal reports of sexual assault and sexual harassment. Campus Care works closely with the University Counselling and Wellbeing teams, the Student Living Support team, the Office of Student Advocacy and the Office of the Deputy Vice-Chancellor in ensuring that support and access to options of reporting are made accessible and safe for students.
- Counselling and Psychological Services (CAPS) have committed to regular professional development, to ensure clinicians respond in a consistent client-centred and trauma informed approach, as recommended by research and specialist sexual assault services.
Since the 2021 National Student Safety Survey (NSSS), the University of Newcastle has delivered significant reform and investment in the prevention of sexual assault, sexual harassment and gender-based violence through implementation of the University of Newcastle Action Plan for the Prevention of Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment (2022-2025).
This work has strengthened governance, prevention, response, education and awareness and established a strong foundation for alignment with the National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-Based Violence.
If you are an onshore student who was currently enrolled in a course on June 30 June 2026 at a participating university, and are 16 or older, you will receive an email from safetysurvey@roymorgan.com with a unique link inviting you to complete the Survey.
Only the survey provider, Roy Morgan, will send the Survey link to you
Yes. The University of Newcastle supports participation in the National Student Safety Survey and encourages students to share their experiences to help inform initiatives that improve student safety and wellbeing across the higher education sector.
This survey includes questions that ask about:
Your experience of sexual violence or harm awareness and prevention education received before coming to, and at, university, and your perceptions and attitudes towards sexual violence or harm.
If you have experienced sexual violence or harm, you’ll also be asked about:
Your experiences of sexual assault, sexual harassment and technology-facilitated sexual violence, your awareness of support and reporting pathways at your university, your experiences of reporting sexual violence or harm to your university, and your experiences of seeking support from your university for sexual violence or harm that has impacted your university experience.
This survey includes some open-ended questions, where you can share your experiences in your own words.
Your responses will help build an accurate picture of where, when, and how issues arise relating to the occurrence of and response to sexual violence or harm that has impacted your university experience. Your answers will be de-identified before being combined with the responses from other students for analysis.
Information collected through the survey may be used in the following ways:
- to inform and help shape how universities prevent and respond to sexual violence or harm, as well as gender-based violence more broadly,
- to inform assessments and reporting obligations for individual universities under the National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence, and
- de-identified survey results may be referenced in other reports, conferences, presentations, academic publications and in the media reporting following publication of the Survey report.
This is the third national survey of Australian university students assessing the occurrence and impacts of sexual violence or harm.
The first survey was conducted in 2016 by Roy Morgan for the Australian Human Rights Commission, with the findings published in the Change the Course report in 2017. The second survey was conducted by the Social Research Centre in 2021, with the results published online in 2022.
The content of this survey is different to the two previous surveys. New questions have been added, and others have been removed to reflect better understanding of different forms of sexual violence or harm, and changes to the higher education system.
A national quantitative report, a national qualitative report and an individual quantitative report for each university will be published in PDF format.
NSSS acknowledge that some questions may cause distress, especially for those who have experienced sexual violence or harm. Your wellbeing is the priority. To support you in answering what and how you feel comfortable, you can:
- skip any question by selecting ‘Prefer not to say’,
- give brief answers
- take a break, or stop, at any time,
- reach out for support.
Who can I talk to if I need support?
If you would like support or need to speak with someone, the University of Newcastle offers a range of services, including Campus Care for reporting sexual assault, sexual misconduct or harm, free Counselling Service through Student Wellbeing, confidential appointments with Health Services, and access to an After-Hours Support line.
You can also access 24/7 free and confidential support from trained counsellors by calling the National Student Safety Survey Counselling Line on 1800 572 224. The Counselling Line is being provided by Full Stop Australia which is a specialist sexual, domestic and family violence support service.
There are also a range of support options from national services, such as:
| Service | Website | Contact | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lifeline Australia | lifeline.org.au | 13 11 14 (24/7) | Free, confidential 24/7 crisis support and suicide prevention services. Anyone across Australia who is experiencing a personal crisis, contemplating suicide or caring for someone in crisis can contact Lifeline. |
| 13YARN | 13yarn.org.au | 13 92 76 (24/7) | A culturally safe 24/7 crisis support line for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Staffed by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander crisis supporters. |
| 1800RESPECT | 1800respect.org.au | 1800 737 732 (24/7) | The national sexual assault, domestic and family violence counselling service. 1800RESPECT support is available through call, text, online chat or video call services. |
| Rainbow Sexual, Domestic and Family Violence Helpline | fullstop.org.au | 1800 497 212 (24/7) | Support services available to anyone in Australia from LGBTQIA+ communities who has experienced sexual, domestic or family violence. |
| Relationships Australia | relationships.org.au | 1300 364 277 | A community-based organisation offering counselling, mediation, and education services to support healthy relationships for all members of the community. |
| QLife | qlife.org.au | 1800 184 527 | Australia’s only National LGBTIQA+ early intervention telephone and webchat peer support and referral service. Support is available over the phone or online chat. |
| MensLine Australia | mensline.org.au | 1300 789 978 | MensLine Australia offers free, confidential 24/7support, information and referral services for men experiencing emotional or personal difficulties. Support is available 24/7 by phone, and via online chat. |
| Brother to Brother | dardimunwurro.com.au | 1800 435 799 | The Brother to Brother crisis line provides phone support for Aboriginal men who need someone to talk to about relationship issues, family violence, parenting, drug and alcohol issues or who are struggling to cope for other reasons. The line is staffed by Aboriginal men, including Elders, who have a lived experience in the issues that the line offers support for. |
| Beyond Blue | beyondblue.org.au | 1300 224 636 | Beyond Blue offer free, confidential 24/7 phone and online chat support with trained counsellors for immediate help. Beyond Blue counsellors are to equip assist people of all ages in Australia with the skills they need to look after their own mental health and wellbeing, and to create confidence in their ability to support those around them. |
| Full Stop Australia | fullstop.org.au | 1800 385 578 (24/7) [general support line] | Free, confidential, 24/7 trauma-specialist counselling and support to anyone in Australia affected by sexual, domestic or family violence. |
Sexual assault and sexual harassment
External Support
There are also a number of external support services available that you may find helpful. You can find out more here or explore the links below:
The University of Newcastle acknowledges the traditional custodians of the lands within our footprint areas: Awabakal, Darkinjung, Biripai, Worimi, Wonnarua, and Eora Nations. We also pay respect to the wisdom of our Elders past and present.