Our team of experts at RMIT, The University of Wollongong and La Trobe Universities have joined forces to investigate the use and potential of anonymous reporting options since 2020.
Our team of researchers are dedicated to better understanding the needs of survivors and the impact of alternative reporting options on therapeutic and criminal justice outcomes.
Meet our current team members, each with their own unique background and expertise.
Georgina Heydon (she/her) is a Forensic Linguist and Professor at RMIT Social and Global Studies Centre. Georgina is engaged in collaborative projects concerning gender in relation to issues of conflict, development and governance. Georgina’s research focuses on police interviewing in family violence investigations, technological innovations for responding to violence and abuse, as well as broader issues of language, translation and justice in culturally and linguistically diverse (CALD) communities.
You can find more information on Georgina’s work here: RMIT staff page
You can follow Georgina: @HeydonFL
Dr Rachel Loney-Howes (she/her) is a Senior Lecturer in Criminology in the School of Health and Society at the University of Wollongong. Rachel’s research specialises in the use of digital technologies for seeking rape justice with a specific interest in the relationship between activism, support services and law/legal reforms in relation to sexual assault. Rachel is the co-editor of #MeToo and the Politics of Social Change (with Dr Bianca Fileborn, University of Melbourne), and the author of Online Anti-Rape Activism: Exploring the Politics of the Personal in the Age of Digital Media.
You can find more information on Rachel’s work here: University of Wollongong staff page
You can follow Rachel: @rloneyhowes
Nicola Henry (she/her) is a Professor and Australian Research Council Future Fellow in the Social and Global Studies Centre at RMIT University in Melbourne. Her research investigates the prevalence, nature and impacts of gendered violence, including the legal and non-legal response to these harms in Australian and international contexts. Her current research is focused on technology-facilitated sexual violence and image-based sexual abuse. Nicola was lead Chief Investigator on an Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery project on image-based sexual abuse in Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. She is currently undertaking an ARC Future Fellowship on digital platforms and image-based sexual abuse.
You can find more information on Nicola’s work here: RMIT staff page
You can follow Nicola: @n_henry
Dr Sophie Hindes is a Research Fellow at the Australian Research Centre in Sex, Health and Society (ARCSHS) at La Trobe University and co-lead of the domestic, family and sexual violence stream. They lead and manage a range of projects on LGBTQ+ experiences of gender-based violence, with a focus on strengths-based approaches to prevention. They have a strong commitment to partnering with community organisations and people with lived experience to improve understandings of LGBTQ+ people’s experiences of gender-based violence and resistance, and to improve policy and practice responses.
You can find more information on Sophie’s work here: La Trobe staff page
You can follow Sophie: @sophiehindes
Dr Tully O’Neill is a Lecturer in Criminology at La Trobe University Law School. Tully’s research is concerned with alternative conceptualisations of ‘justice’ in the aftermath of sexual violence. Tully is author of the forthcoming book, Sexual Victimisation and Justice in Digital Society: Navigating Technology and the Aftermath of Sexual Violence.
You can find more information on Tully’s work here: La Trobe staff page
You can follow Tully @tullyoneill_
Dr Samantha O’Donnell is a Research Fellow at the Melbourne Law School and an affiliate with the ARC Centre of Excellence for the Elimination of Violence Against Women. She specialises in research on gender-based violence through a feminist and intersectional lens. Samantha completed her PhD in criminology at the University of Melbourne in 2025 and examined gender-based violence, bordering and state violence. She also holds an MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice from the University of Oxford, and a Bachelor of Laws (First Class Honours)/Bachelor of International Relations from the Australian National University. Samantha’s approach to research is informed by her experience as a lawyer in the community and government sectors.
You can find more information on Samantha’s work here: Melbourne University staff page
You can follow Samantha: @sam_odonnell_
Jess Oldfield
Jess Oldfield (she/her) is a PhD Candidate in Criminology at the University of Melbourne. Her research interests lie at the intersection of victims’ experiences, feminism, and popular culture. Her PhD research is concerned with the experiences of survivors of sexual violence in the post-#MeToo era, with a particular focus on how they are impacted by, and relate to, practices of speaking out and maintaining anonymity.
You can follow Jess: @jess0ldfield
Alternative Reporting For Sexual Assault Project 