The music is low, the lights are warm, and behind the bar a student named Liam checks a patron’s ID with practised ease.
A few years ago, this scene would have been typical of any campus pub on a Friday night, friendly chaos, clinking glasses, the occasional stumble.
But tonight feels different.
There’s a poster on the wall that reads “A Good Night Out Starts with Respect.” Next to the beer taps, a small sticker catches the eye: Ask for Angela.
When a young woman walks up, visibly uneasy, Liam leans forward and quietly asks,
“Hey, are you okay? Do you want to check in with Angela?”
She nods. Within minutes, a trained staff member is by her side, helping her exit safely. No scene, no fuss – but a lot of care.
This is the result of primary prevention in action, woven into the rhythms of campus life.
The campaign: “A Good Night Out”
The Good Night Out Campaign aims to prevent and respond to sexual violence in licensed venues. The Campaign first emerged in the UK in 2014 as a grassroots response to sexual violence, with a focus on nightlife communities. The program supports those who work in, or run, venues, pubs, bars, clubs and festivals to better understand, respond to and ultimately prevent sexual harassment and assault.
Working with Full Stop Australia, twenty Macquarie University staff working within the main student venue, UBar, participated in a Good Night Out accreditation program for licensed premises.
The problem they wanted to solve
In 2021, after the National Student Safety Survey (NSSS) findings, universities knew that alcohol-fuelled environments were a significant risk factor for sexual harassment and assault.
The data showed that:
- Nearly one-third of incidents occurred in social or residential settings.
- Few survivors reported what happened, citing fear of disbelief or retaliation.
- Students often described a culture of “that’s just how nights out are.”
As one wellbeing officer put it, “We didn’t want our pubs and clubs to be places of anxiety. They should be places of connection and belonging.”
So the team asked:
What would it look like to design nightlife differently, not just manage it better?
Designing a new kind of nightlife – case study
1. Design for safety
The physical environment was redesigned to promote visibility and comfort:
- Improved lighting in outdoor areas.
- Clear sight lines from the bar to seating zones.
- Breakout spaces for privacy or de-escalation.
- Gender-neutral bathrooms near the main exit.
2. Train for confidence
Every staff member (from bartenders to security) completed Capyble’s Bystander and Response Training.
They learned how to:
- Recognise red-flag behaviours.
- Interrupt early and safely.
- Support disclosures without judgement.
3. Promote respect as the default
Instead of fear-based messaging (“Don’t be that guy”), they chose empowering language:
“Look out for your mates. Respect the space. Enjoy the night.”
Social media campaigns featured real student ambassadors. Posters used humour and inclusivity rather than shame.
In this case study, all bar staff receive a two-hour training session ‘Understanding and Responding to Sexual Harassment and Assault in Licensed Premises’.
The session addressed the following key topics:
• what sexual assault and harassment mean
• ‘whole-of-team’ approaches to handling sexual violence in a licensed space
• racism, homophobia and sexual harassment
• barriers to reporting an incident to a member of staff and how to remove or reduce barriers
• creating an environment that prevents harassment, and
• de-escalation techniques and responding carefully to shock and trauma .
As part of the initiative, Full Stop Australia reviewed what practices were already in place at UBar and produced a best-practice policy document for the premises. The policy included in-depth information about legal aspects and licensing which was tailored to the venue’s needs.
Full Stop Australia also provides posters and a signed certificate to display behind the bar which helps to encourage reporting and informs customers that staff are trained appropriately. The program requires limited resourcing. Casual bar staff were paid for their time to attend the training. Fulltime staff contributed their time to complete the training.
The potential impact
Measure results across:
| Indicator |
| Staff trained in bystander intervention |
| Reported harassment incidents (first six months) |
| Student perception of safety at campus venues |
| Participation in respect campaigns |
More importantly, these indicate a culture shift. You’ll start to see students begin using prevention language in everyday conversation.
For example, when a patron crossed boundaries, peers (not just staff) stepped in.
“We used to hear, ‘That’s none of my business.’ Now we hear, ‘That’s not on.’”
Why this works: the prevention science
Key concepts from primary prevention and environmental design:
- Situational Prevention: Modify settings to reduce risk (lighting, layout, crowd flow).
- Normative Change: Challenge social norms that enable harm (banter, objectification).
- Skill Building: Equip bystanders and staff with tools to act.
- Visibility of Leadership: Make respect visible through branding and leadership presence.
Each element contributes to a layered safety net, where harm is less likely to occur and easier to stop early.
What other Universities/Higher Education institutes can learn
Capyble identifies five transferable lessons:
Lesson 1: Meet People Where They Are
Start with the community’s voice. Use familiar language, not policy jargon.
Lesson 2: Train the First Responders You Already Have
Bartenders, security, and event organisers are often the real first responders. Empower them.
Lesson 3: Celebrate Small Wins
Highlight everyday interventions, staff stepping in, peers checking on friends. Visibility normalises action.
Lesson 4: Design for Inclusion
Safety means different things for different people — consider gender, culture, disability, and identity in every decision.
Lesson 5: Sustain, Don’t Spike
Short campaigns fade fast. Integrate prevention into orientation, contracts, and leadership KPIs.
The wider context: from pub to policy
While A Good Night Out began as a campus initiative, its ripple effects reached far beyond the bar.
The university’s HR and Wellbeing divisions can adopt the same framework for workplace functions, student events, and external partnerships.
By treating nightlife as a microcosm of culture, a project like this can demonstrate that primary prevention is scalable — from a single venue to an entire institution.
Under the forthcoming National Higher Education Code, universities and higher education institutes must demonstrate proactive prevention measures, including engagement with high-risk settings like student bars.
Survivor perspective (composite reflection)
“For years I avoided campus bars, too many memories of things brushed off as ‘just drunk behaviour.’ When I came back for my postgraduate study, I saw posters about ‘A Good Night Out.’ I was sceptical at first. But one night, I saw a staff member quietly step in when someone crossed the line. No drama, no judgement, just care. I cried in the taxi home. Not because of what happened, but because someone finally did something before it got worse.”
This reflection (fictional but representative) shows what prevention feels like in real life: safety as action, not reaction.
Capyble’s Framework for safer social spaces
Through this and similar initiatives, Capyble developed a practical model for universities:
| Phase | Focus | Example Actions |
| Discover | Understand the setting | Map risk zones, gather student insights |
| Design | Create safer systems | Layout redesign, signage, reporting pathways |
| Deliver | Build staff capability | Bystander and disclosure training |
| Demonstrate | Measure and report | Collect feedback, publish outcomes |
| Deepen | Sustain culture change | Refresh campaigns annually, integrate into inductions |
What this teaches about culture
Culture isn’t changed by policies, it’s changed by practice.
When respect becomes visible (in signage, training, conversations) it redefines what’s acceptable.
“We realised culture lives in the small things,”
“The language on a poster. The tone of a conversation. The look someone gives when they see something not okay.”
A Good Night Out turned those small things into systems.
Key Takeaways for university and higher education leaders
- Primary prevention belongs everywhere. Apply it beyond classrooms and offices — to pubs, clubs, field trips, and residencies.
- Partnership is power. Collaborate with students, facilities, HR, and external experts.
- Visibility builds trust. When students see action, reporting increases and culture shifts.
- Sustain the work. Prevention is not a project, it’s a practice.
Lead from the top. Culture change sticks when executives champion it openly.
