Advocates and experts have condemned an incident at a University of Sydney student council meeting in which councillors from the Young Liberal contingent tore up copies of a report on sexual abuse on campus.

Honi Soit, the university’s student newspaper, published a video showing members identified as Young Liberals tearing up The Red Zone report during the meeting and throwing the pieces at other councillors.

Joanne Wright, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sydney, said an immediate investigation is being launched.

“The behaviour of all participants must be in accord with our Student Charter, which outlines our expectations of student behaviour, and other relevant university policies,” she said in a statement.

“We are deeply disappointed by what has reportedly occurred and expect higher standards from our students, everyone in our community has a responsibility to foster a respectful and inclusive culture.”

The councillors received printed copies of the report before the women’s incoming officers delivered their speeches at Wednesday night’s council meeting.

The report, released in 2018, investigated sexual violence and hazing in Australian university residential colleges, uncovering “dozens of hazing and initiation practices and examples of misogyny” and detailing “90 years of media reports of scandals which have plagued the USyd colleges, including abusive, coercive and humiliating rituals dating”.

Dr Allison Henry, a research fellow at UNSW’s Australian Human Rights Institute, said it was positive to see the incident wasn’t being downplayed.

“It would have been swept under the carpet 10 years ago; there would have been a reluctance at the college to discipline students,” she said.

“The university needs to make it clear that they find this behaviour unacceptable, I’ve some commentary that they’ve started an investigation, but the students need to be reprimanded appropriately.”

Student councillors from the conservative club also unfurled a Trump banner and heckled the speakers, according to Honi Soit.

Response

The report’s lead author, Nina Funnell, said the incident “proves everything and more about the toxic culture of these places”.

“The report differs from every other report into hazing and sexual assault at university in Australia, because it is the only report where survivors were brave enough to go on record and use their real names,” she said.

“The callous and dismissive attitude on display here speaks volumes.”

She said she was deeply disgusted and disturbed.

“I feel very protective of those who are named in the report, who should never have to see this kind of conduct,” Funnell said.

“Destroying the report is not a slap in the face to me or the other co-authors: It is a slap in the face to those who bravely went on record.”

NSW Liberal leader Mark Speakman told ABC that he had asked the party’s state director to investigate the incident urgently.

Action plan

The incident occurred shortly after the nearby St Paul’s College, expelled students who took part in a mock trial and allegedly subjected a student to sexual degradation.

Henry said that the government was legislating and introducing a plan for dealing with gender-based violence in higher education.

“Every three months or so at a university around the country, an incident like this pops up,” she said.

“Under the action plan, there will be a new national student ombudsman and a new national code, and this just shows how needed they are.”

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