The national guidelines were released by Universities Australia on July 20.

UTAS pro vice-chancellor Marg Otlowski said many of the steps outlined in the national guidelines had already been implemented by the university.

“We have a very clear target of zero instances of sexual assault or sexual harassment and we have committed to implementing all of the recommendations in the national report and our own independent review,” she said.

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“We welcome the release of these national guidelines, which will be a valuable resource as we work to ensure students are at the centre of how we respond.”

A month ago, UTAS released its own internal review into sexual abuse on its Tasmanian campuses and outlined a detailed approach to zero instances. The internal review was prompted following a national report released by the Human Rights Commission last year.

University Australia’s chief executive Catriona Jackson said university leaders, students and staff were united in their resolve to prevent sexual assault and sexual harassment and to support those who have experienced these behaviours.

“We want every student to be supported through their trauma and recovery — and know that their safety and wellbeing will be at the centre of their university’s response,” she said.

“Advocates and experts have been integral to this work. Without them, this work would not have been possible and we thank them for their crucial input."

Professor Otlowski said it was important UTAS had clearly set out how it was responding to the issue.

“To achieve real change our effort must be significant and sustained. We are making progress on implementing the recommendations made in recent reports – for example there were face-to-face training sessions held today with many more sessions to follow.”