The Hunting Ground was one of six documentary films selected for the 2015 philanthropic Good Pitch Australia initiative held at the Sydney Opera House on 16 September 2015. Good Pitch brings together filmmakers with foundations, not-for- profits, campaigners, philanthropists, policy-makers, brands, educators, broadcasters and media to forge powerful alliances around ground breaking films that will have a significant impact in relation to issues of social importance – and benefit the partners, the development of the films and society as a whole.
Since late 2015, The Hunting Ground Australia Project has used the documentary as a tool to engage the entire Australian university sector, and the broader community, in a collaborative, comprehensive and unified campaign around the incidence of, and responses to, sexual violence on Australian universities.
The impact campaign has involved a number of streams including:
- a campus screening program of The Hunting Ground,
- development of an independent national survey
- development of model protocol & policy frameworks for university responses to reports of sexual violence
- adaptation of existing sexual ethics, consent & bystander training, for use in a university context
- evaluation
Campus Screenings
Local campus screenings of The Hunting Ground have been encouraging conversations about the experiences of students portrayed in the film and how they relate to the Australian context. As at July 2017, the Project has facilitated 25 staff previews and more than 70 campus screenings, across 33 of Australia’s 39 universities.
To see which universities have engaged with the project, please click here to view an interactive map showing participating universities and campuses.
To find out more about hosting a screening at your campus, college or student residence please click here
National Student Survey
Prior to The Hunting Ground Australia Project there was not any comprehensive independent statistical information about the incidence of sexual assault, sexual threats and sexual harassment on Australian universities.
The Hunting Ground Australia Project is proud that the funding raised and partnerships developed through GoodPitch2 Australia instigated the Australian Human Rights Commission national student survey and submission process, examining the prevalence, reporting experiences and responses to sexual assault and sexual harassment in university settings.
The online survey was conducted by Roy Morgan Research between September and December 2016, with a representative sample of students from all 39 universities in Australia. In addition to the survey, the Commission also sought submissions on sexual assault and sexual harassment at university.
The Hunting Ground Australia Project provided a submission to the Commission in February 2017, outlining the project’s objectives and our observations relating to the Australian university staff previews, campus and conference screenings of The Hunting Ground.
Read submission
The Commission’s report – Change the Course: National report on sexual assault and sexual harassment at Australian universities was released on 1 August 2017.
Policies, Protocols & Procedures
As clearly portrayed in The Hunting Ground, sexual violence can have a devastating long-term impact, particularly if the response to a disclosure has been inappropriate or inadequate.
As part of The Hunting Ground Australia Project, the Australian Human Rights Centre at UNSW, led by Professor Andrea Durbach, was commissioned to undertake the Strengthening Australian Universities’ Responses to Sexual Assault and Harassment research project. The Project focused on the development of effective and appropriate institutional responses to sexual assault and harassment in Australian universities, with a focus on the needs of women, LGBTIQ students and international students.
The Australian Human Rights Centre’s report – On Safe Ground: A Good Practice Guide for Australian Universities – was released on 3 August 2017.
Ethics & Consent Training
To better equip university students and staff to respond to survivors of sexual violence, The Hunting Ground Australia Project has engaged leading experts Professor Moira Carmody and Karen Willis OAM at the Full Stop Foundation of Rape Domestic Violence Services Australia to develop the Sex, Safety & Respect program and training materials.
This experiential program focuses on communicating in intimate relationships, sexual ethics, consent and bystander strategies that can be employed in an Australian university context.
The training materials have been developed and are now being offered to interested universities and residential colleges. It is hoped that by educating young people, their educators and carers about respectful relationships, consent laws and ethical choices, Australian students will have a framework to take into their future workplaces and families.
Evaluation
The Hunting Ground Australia Project will document and assess the impact of the film and campaign.
Further Info & Case Studies
For further information about the impact campaign and case studies on how five Australian universities are utilising The Hunting Ground, please click below to download our July 2016 or 2017 progress reports.
July 2023 Final Progress Report.
Project Team
The Hunting Ground Australia Project is run by Allison Henry (Campaign Director), Mary Macrae (Producer) and Anna Kaplan (Screenings Producer). Amy Ziering (Producer, The Hunting Ground) is international consultant to the project.
Click here for more information about the team.
Thank you to our Funders & Partners
