What’s the Problem Represented to Be? A Qualitative Analysis of Policy Guidance for Australian University Responses to Sexual Violence

Abstract Victim-survivors of sexual violence have too often received inadequate, and sometimes harmful, responses from their university. How universities respond to reports of sexual violence may be impacted by policy guidance provided by national peak bodies, such as Universities Australia. This paper sets out the findings of a comparative critical qualitative policy analysis of Universities Australia’s 2018 Guidelines for University Responses to Sexual Assault and Sexual Harassment and their 2023 Sexual Harm Response Guidelines . The analysis drew from Bacchi’s ‘What’s the Problem Represented to be’ method, and explored the framing of university sexual violence within both documents. There is some evidence of positive progression between 2018 and 2023: the more recent document emphasises the importance of intersectionality and trauma-informed practices, and highlights the positive duty of universities to take proactive and preventative action relating to sexual violence. These additions point to some improvement with respect to the framing and perceptions of sexual violence within the Australian higher education sector. Recent Australian reforms to university governance and oversight provide a promising avenue to further strengthen university responses to sexual violence. However, there is an ongoing need for more focus on sexual violence perpetration and prevention, and institutional accountability—individual and collective.