The higher education regulator will require tertiary institutions to demonstrate compliance with strict wellbeing and safety guidelines following the release of a report revealing widespread issues of sexual assault and harassment among students.
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Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham has asked universities to provide the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency with a "clear response" to the Human Rights Commission survey, which found one in five students were sexually harassed and 1.6 per cent sexually assaulted in a university setting in 2015 and/or 2016.
A Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency spokesman said the body was still deciding what providers would need to hand over to prove their institution met the Threshold Standards - a requirement if they were to remain within the nation's higher education system.
"While TEQSA has been supportive of the Australian Human Rights Commission's report, the agency only became of aware of its findings after last week's launch," the spokesman said.
"As such, we are still formulating what higher education providers will be required to include in their submissions to demonstrate that their operations meet the relevant requirements of the Threshold Standards.
"Once these guidelines have been finalised, TEQSA will engage with the sector regarding their responses, including working with relevant peak bodies where appropriate."
The federal body released a guidance note on wellbeing and safety last week, outlining higher education providers' responsibilities to students.
The document acknowledged the complexities of responding to incidents that occur off campus, but said "even incidents that fall outside of the scope of the provider's operations may have consequential adverse impacts ... and the provider may need to provide support".
"TEQSA will need to be satisfied that a provider is acting responsibly and proactively to create an environment of wellbeing and safety for all students," the guidance note said.
"TEQSA will want to be satisfied that the approaches taken by the provider do indeed relate to the needs of the student cohorts involved, and appear to be fit for their intended purpose and sufficiently resourced.
"In relation to critical incidents, TEQSA will expect to see evidence ... of how a provider intends to respond to a range of foreseeable events either on or off campus. These might include ... sexual assault and sexual harassment."
Universities Australia chief executive Belinda Robinson said student safety and wellbeing was "the highest priority" for Australian universities.
"Proactively providing a safe environment for students is what each and every one of our member universities has done over many years,' she said.
"To build on that long program of work, all 39 universities asked the Australian Human Rights Commission to survey their students for the report released last week – to obtain information to help guide further steps to enhance safety and wellbeing.
"We look forward to working with our members and the regulator to continue to build on Australian universities strong safety commitment."
End Rape on Campus Australia ambassador Nina Funnell labelled the guidance note "hugely significant".
"This will actually give an external body some significant powers and they can tie university funding to whether or not the university is TEQSA compliant," she said.
The Human Rights Commission's survey found more than 30 University of Canberra students were sexually assaulted in 2015 or 2016, including about five on campus. In the same period, 116 ANU students were sexually assaulted, 52 of those at the university.
The universities had 460 and 1477 survey respondents respectively.
The TEQSA spokesman said no universities were under investigation or review under the relevant health and wellbeing standards.
