Key rules not released before passage
The strongest drafting and accountability concern was that the detailed ombudsman rules had not been released before the bill was debated, making it harder to judge how the scheme would work in practice.
Universities Accord (National Student Ombudsman)
Current status
This bill became law on Dec 10th, 2024.
Policy area
Education & skills
What does this bill do?
Australia now has a National Student OmbudsmanThe new national complaints body that can deal with complaints from higher education students about their university or provider. so university students have a national place to take complaints about higher education providers.
Why was it introduced?
Higher education students lacked a national place to escalate complaints about universities, a gap the 23 February 2024 Action Plan on gender-based violenceThe government plan that made a national student complaints body an early priority after concerns about campus violence and poor responses. made an immediate priority. This bill creates a National Student OmbudsmanThe new national complaints body that can deal with complaints from higher education students about their university or provider. to handle those complaints independently and use investigation, mediation and restorative processes.
Broader context
Australian university students could complain to their institutions, but there was no national body to escalate unresolved grievances, even as the 2021 National Student Safety Survey and student survivors’ campaigning exposed widespread sexual harassment, sexual assault and poor complaint handling on campus. After the August 2023 IDeserveSafety campaign launch and the 23 February 2024 Action Plan on gender-based violenceThe government plan that made a national student complaints body an early priority after concerns about campus violence and poor responses. made a national ombudsman an immediate priority, Parliament created the National Student OmbudsmanThe new national complaints body that can deal with complaints from higher education students about their university or provider. and the Act received Royal AssentThe formal step that turns a passed bill into an Act of Parliament. in December 2024.
Key criticism
The main criticism was not of the student ombudsman itself but of how the scheme would be implemented, with concerns that Parliament was being asked to pass the bill before seeing the detailed rules and without clear assurance it would be resourced properly. Those reservations were raised by the Coalition and some crossbench supporters, and support for the bill otherwise remained conditional rather than oppositional.
Who supported it?
Hon Jason Clare MP introduced this bill. It passed on the voices.
Introduced in House 11 Sept 2024
Passed House 09 Oct 2024
Passed Senate 28 Nov 2024
Became law 10 Dec 2024
Did it become law?
Yes
Became law 10 Dec 2024
Final passage
Passed without a counted vote
Members called out ‘aye’ or ‘no’ — no individual votes were recorded.
Passage speed
90 days
From introduction to the latest recorded parliamentary step
Meaning
What does this bill do?
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Australia now has a National Student OmbudsmanThe new national complaints body that can deal with complaints from higher education students about their university or provider. so university students have a national place to take complaints about higher education providers.
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Current, former and prospective higher education students can complain about universities, but not about staff employment matters, academic judgments like grades, or VETJob-focused study outside university that this ombudsman does not cover on this page.-only study.
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The National Student OmbudsmanThe new national complaints body that can deal with complaints from higher education students about their university or provider. can handle complaints by sending them back to the university, using mediation-style processes, offering restorative engagementA process that brings the people involved together to address harm and work toward a resolution., or running an investigation.
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Universities can be required to join a dispute resolution process, and a person who fails to take part after being directed can be fined.
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Students are protected if they complain, because it is an offence to threaten or punish someone for making or planning a complaint, and courts can also order civil remedies.
Show source excerpts
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There is to be a National Student Ombudsman.
Universities Accord (National Student Ombudsman) as-passed bill text -
The National Student Ombudsman will not investigate actions to the extent they involve the exercise of academic judgement (for example a grade that was awarded), actions regarding employment, or complaints relating to vocational education and training (VET).
Universities Accord (National Student Ombudsman) explanatory memorandum -
The National Student Ombudsman can deal with complaints by referring the complaint to the higher education provider for investigation, by using alternative dispute resolution processes or restorative engagement processes or by conducting an investigation.
Universities Accord (National Student Ombudsman) as-passed bill text -
Penalty: 10 penalty units.
Universities Accord (National Student Ombudsman) as-passed bill text -
It will be an offence to threaten or subject a person to detriment because they have made or propose to make a complaint to the National Student Ombudsman. Students will also be able to apply for a range of civil remedies to prevent or address detrimental action.
Universities Accord (National Student Ombudsman) explanatory memorandum
Context
Broader context for this bill
Australian university students could complain to their institutions, but there was no national body to escalate unresolved grievances, even as the 2021 National Student Safety Survey and student survivors’ campaigning exposed widespread sexual harassment, sexual assault and poor complaint handling on campus. After the August 2023 IDeserveSafety campaign launch and the 23 February 2024 Action Plan on gender-based violenceThe government plan that made a national student complaints body an early priority after concerns about campus violence and poor responses. made a national ombudsman an immediate priority, Parliament created the National Student OmbudsmanThe new national complaints body that can deal with complaints from higher education students about their university or provider. and the Act received Royal AssentThe formal step that turns a passed bill into an Act of Parliament. in December 2024.
- 2021
National Student Safety Survey exposes widespread campus sexual violence
Speakers on the bill cited the 2021 survey as showing one in six students had been sexually harassed, one in 10 had experienced sexual assault and many felt unheard when they complained.
Hansard ↗ - Aug 2023
IDeserveSafety campaign launch brings student survivors’ accounts to Parliament
A speaker said the August 2023 campaign launch highlighted institutional failings in responses to sexual violence on campus and led directly to a same-day meeting request with the Education Minister.
Hansard ↗ - 23 Feb 2024
Action Plan on gender-based violenceThe government plan that made a national student complaints body an early priority after concerns about campus violence and poor responses. makes a national student ombudsmanThe new national complaints body that can deal with complaints from higher education students about their university or provider. an immediate priority
The bill’s stated rationale says the action plan identified the lack of a national complaints pathway for higher education students as an urgent gap to fix.
User payload: whyIntroduced ↗ - 11 Sept 2024
Government introduces the bill to create a National Student OmbudsmanThe new national complaints body that can deal with complaints from higher education students about their university or provider.
When introducing the bill, the Education Minister said students needed an independent national avenue for complaints after hearing directly from women about their experiences on university campuses.
Hansard ↗ - 28 Nov 2024
Parliament passes the bill
Both houses passed the bill in the same form, clearing the way for a new national body to investigate, resolve and monitor complaints about higher education providers.
Parliamentary timeline ↗ - 10 Dec 2024
National Student OmbudsmanThe new national complaints body that can deal with complaints from higher education students about their university or provider. becomes law
Royal AssentThe formal step that turns a passed bill into an Act of Parliament. turned the bill into an Act, formally establishing the legislative basis for a national complaints pathway for current, former and prospective higher education students.
Parliamentary timeline ↗
Legislative route
How did it move through Parliament?
House Senate
Introduced 11 Sept 2024
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
Second reading opened 11 Sept 2024
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
Education and Employment Legislation Committee; Committee report (10/10/2024) review 19 Sept 2024
Referred to Committee (19/09/2024): Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee; Committee report (10/10/2024)
Referred to committee
APH bill page notesSecond reading debate 08 Oct 2024
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Sent to Federation Chamber for debate 08 Oct 2024
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Referred to Federation Chamber
Second reading debate 09 Oct 2024
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Returned from Federation Chamber 09 Oct 2024
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Reported from Federation Chamber
House second reading agreed 09 Oct 2024
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
Second reading agreed to
Consideration in detail 09 Oct 2024
The chamber considered the bill in detail and dealt with amendments before the next stage.
Consideration in detail debate
House third reading agreed 09 Oct 2024
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
Third reading agreed to
Introduced 10 Oct 2024
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
Second reading opened 10 Oct 2024
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
Senate second reading agreed 28 Nov 2024
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
Second reading agreed to
Senate third reading agreed 28 Nov 2024
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
Third reading agreed to
Passed both houses 28 Nov 2024
Both houses passed the bill in the same form, completing parliamentary passage.
Finally passed both Houses
Assent 10 Dec 2024
The Governor-General gave Royal AssentThe formal step that turns a passed bill into an Act of Parliament., turning the bill into an Act.
Key criticism
The main case against this bill
The main criticism was not of the student ombudsman itself but of how the scheme would be implemented, with concerns that Parliament was being asked to pass the bill before seeing the detailed rules and without clear assurance it would be resourced properly. Those reservations were raised by the Coalition and some crossbench supporters, and support for the bill otherwise remained conditional rather than oppositional.
No party represented in the debate argued against creating the ombudsman itself.
Risk of weak rollout without enough staff and follow-through
Supporters warned the new complaints body could fall short if it was not implemented quickly, staffed properly and backed by wider reforms, leaving students with a new process that might not deliver the promised protection or accountability.
Further sources
Votes
Recorded votes
How the bill itself passed
The bill passed both chambers on the voices, so there is no list of individual Aye and No votes for final passage.
Passed House passed the bill
House agreed to the bill's third reading on the voices, so there is no list of individual Aye and No votes for final passage in that chamber.
Passed
House passed the bill
Passed on the voices
In a voice vote, members call out Aye or No and the presiding officer judges which side has it. Individual names are only recorded if a formal division is called.
Passed Senate passed the bill
Senate agreed to the bill's third reading on the voices, so there is no list of individual Aye and No votes for final passage in that chamber.
Passed
Senate passed the bill
Passed on the voices
In a voice vote, members call out Aye or No and the presiding officer judges which side has it. Individual names are only recorded if a formal division is called.
Amendments at a glance
Amendments grouped by chamber. These cards include amendment outcomes recorded without a counted division.
Senate
Defeated Henderson rules-delay amendment defeated
The Senate defeated, on voices, Senator Sarah Henderson’s second-reading amendment to delay further consideration until draft National Student OmbudsmanThe new national complaints body that can deal with complaints from higher education students about their university or provider. Rules were presented.
Defeated
Henderson rules-delay amendment defeated
Defeated on voices
The chamber decided this amendment without a counted division, so there is no list of individual Aye and No votes.
Parliamentary debate
Who spoke, and what they said
Start here — lead voices
Sponsor speech Supports
Jason Clare
Jason Clare strongly supports the bill, saying it will create a national student ombudsmanThe new national complaints body that can deal with complaints from higher education students about their university or provider. with strong powers to give university students a trauma informed, consistent complaints process.
Read in Hansard ↗ Lead supporting voice Supports
Monique Ryan
Monique Ryan strongly supports the bill, saying universities have failed to protect students from sexual assault and harassment and that an independent ombudsman is needed to give students a proper complaints pathway.
Read in Hansard ↗ Lead non-major voice Supports
Allegra Spender
Spender supports the bill and says it is a welcome step toward a safer, more accountable university system by creating an independent complaints mechanism for students.
Read in Hansard ↗ Lead voice Supports
Paul Fletcher
Paul Fletcher says the coalition will support the bill because it creates an important safeguard for university students and gives them a stronger way to raise complaints.
Read in Hansard ↗All speeches by bloc
Labor
3 speakers · 4 contributions · 3 support
Labor
3 speakers · 4 contributions · 3 support
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Jason Clare ★ 2 contributions Jason Clare strongly supports the bill, saying it will create a national student ombudsmanThe new national complaints body that can deal with complaints from higher education students about their university or provider. with strong powers to give university students a trauma informed, consistent complaints process.
Hansard records 2 separate contributions by Jason Clare on this bill. They are grouped here so the speaker is listed once.
Minister's second reading speech
Jason Clare strongly supports the bill, saying it will create a national student ombudsmanThe new national complaints body that can deal with complaints from higher education students about their university or provider. with strong powers to give university students a trauma informed, consistent complaints process. He presents it as a needed response to long ignored failures in handling sexual assault, harassment and other student complaints on campus.
“Well, today, we act.”
Read this contribution in Hansard ↗Second reading speech
Clare supports the bill and says it is long overdue because it creates a national student ombudsmanThe new national complaints body that can deal with complaints from higher education students about their university or provider. with strong powers to investigate complaints and improve how universities handle student concerns. He urges the House to pass it and says it will make the system fairer and better for students.
“The Universities Accord (National Student Ombudsman) Bill 2024 is long overdue. This bill amends the Ombudsman Act 1976 to establish a national student ombudsman. This is a first: a dedicated national body to handle student complaints within our higher education system.”
Read this contribution in Hansard ↗ -
Carina Garland Garland supports the bill because it creates an independent, trauma informed national complaints body for higher education students and is a key step in addressing gender based violence on campuses.
“The National Student Ombudsman will provide a national complaints-handling mechanism for all higher education students. It will be independent and impartial and will have a complaint-making process that is effective and accessible for students. Really significantly, it will adopt a trauma informed approach to complaint handling and bring parties together to resolve complaints through an alternative dispute resolution process as needed.”
Read the full speech in Hansard ↗ -
Amanda Rishworth Rishworth strongly supports the bill, saying the new National Student OmbudsmanThe new national complaints body that can deal with complaints from higher education students about their university or provider. will give higher education students an independent, trauma-informed way to complain about university actions, especially in cases involving gender-based violence.
“This bill is just one of our government's concerted efforts to end gendered based violence in one generation—efforts which have put the voices of victims-survivors and their lived experience at the centre of our work. We will continue to listen to those victims-survivors who share their experiences in the hope of creating change in relation to this legislation and further work to come through our mandatory national code for universities to prevent and respond to gender based violence.”
Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Coalition
2 speakers · 1 support · 1 mixed
Coalition
2 speakers · 1 support · 1 mixed
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Paul Fletcher ★ Paul Fletcher says the coalition will support the bill because it creates an important safeguard for university students and gives them a stronger way to raise complaints.
“This bill is a step forward. It's important to recognise that it was the coalition which laid the groundwork for such crucial reform. The National Student Ombudsman will provide students with an important safeguard to ensure voices are heard and concerns addressed. While the coalition ultimately support this bill, we do have concerns about the lack of transparency concerning the availability of the National Student Ombudsman rules. These concerns are noted in the second reading amendment, which I now move:”
Read the full speech in Hansard ↗ -
Michael McCormack McCormack says he supports the bill in principle because a student ombudsman would help improve university experiences, but he wants the opposition amendment adopted to make it better.
“This particular bill, which seeks to establish a student ombudsman, in addition to other measures, will be far better if the amendment put forward by the Manager of Opposition Business in the House is adopted.”
Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Minor parties and independents
3 speakers · 3 support
Minor parties and independents
3 speakers · 3 support
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Monique Ryan ★ Monique Ryan strongly supports the bill, saying universities have failed to protect students from sexual assault and harassment and that an independent ombudsman is needed to give students a proper complaints pathway.
“Universities aren't just a place where people work and study. They're also a place where people live. Sexual assault on university campuses is not a new issue. Sadly, universities have abdicated their responsibility in this space for too long. It's time for women to be able to assert their right to be safe on campuses. It's time for universities and other education providers to respect and acknowledge that right. The government has had to take action on this occasion because the universities have not. So I thank the minister for introducing this legislation, and I'm pleased to give it the very full support of the universities, students and graduates of Kooyong.”
Read the full speech in Hansard ↗ -
Allegra Spender ★ Spender supports the bill and says it is a welcome step toward a safer, more accountable university system by creating an independent complaints mechanism for students.
“This bill is a welcome step forward in addressing unacceptable levels of violence and harassment in our universities. It recognises the pain and suffering of survivors and commits to providing an independent trauma based mechanism. It also shows the government is listening to survivors, advocates and the broader community. I commend the minister for taking these important steps to address the failures of the past and to protect our students in the future.”
Read the full speech in Hansard ↗ -
Zoe Daniel Zoe Daniel supports the bill as a long overdue first step to make universities accountable for student safety and complaints, especially around gender based violence.
“This is preventable. This is just a first step. I commend this bill to the House.”
Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Record
Full record
- Act title
- Universities Accord (National Student Ombudsman) Act 2024
- Act number
- Act No. 139, 2024
- Became law
- 10 Dec 2024
- Takes effect
-
- Sections 1 to 3 and anything in this Act not elsewhere covered by this table 10 Dec 2024
- Schedule 1, Parts 1 to 3 The later of:
- Schedule 1, Part 4 The later of:
- Registered
- 12 Dec 2024
- Administered by
- Department of Education
- Final law metadata was collected from the APH progress table; commencement rows were parsed from the bill text.
- Status
- Act -- Collected from the APH bill page.
- Originating house
- House of Representatives
- 11 Sept 2024
House · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
- 11 Sept 2024
House · Second reading moved
Second reading opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
- 08 Oct 2024
House · Second reading debate
Second reading debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
- 08 Oct 2024
House · Referred to Federation Chamber
Referred to Federation Chamber
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
- 09 Oct 2024
House · Second reading debate
Second reading debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
- 09 Oct 2024
House · Reported from Federation Chamber
Reported from Federation Chamber
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
- 09 Oct 2024
House · Second reading agreed to
Second reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
- 09 Oct 2024
House · Consideration in detail debate
Consideration in detail
The chamber considered the bill in detail and dealt with amendments before the next stage.
- 09 Oct 2024
House · Third reading agreed to
Third reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
- 10 Oct 2024
Senate · Introduced and read a first time
Introduced
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
- 10 Oct 2024
Senate · Second reading moved
Second reading opened
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
- 28 Nov 2024
Senate · Second reading agreed to
Second reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at second reading, meaning it accepted the bill in principle and allowed it to continue.
- 28 Nov 2024
Senate · Third reading agreed to
Third reading agreed
The chamber agreed to the bill at third reading, which completed passage through that chamber.
- 28 Nov 2024
Parliament · Finally passed both Houses
Passed both houses
Both houses passed the bill in the same form, completing parliamentary passage.
- 10 Dec 2024
Assent · Assent
Assent
The Governor-General gave Royal AssentThe formal step that turns a passed bill into an Act of Parliament., turning the bill into an Act.
Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee; Committee report (10/10/2024)
Referred to committee
Referred to Committee (19 Sept 2024): Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee; Committee report (10 Oct 2024)
APH bill page notes