This bill did not become law and is no longer proceeding.
Education & skills
Australian universities and other higher education providers would have to meet a new national codeThe new national rulebook the bill would create for universities and other providers to stop, handle and report gender-based violence. aimed at preventing gender-based violenceViolence, harassment or abuse driven by someone’s sex or gender, which this bill treats as a campus safety problem to prevent and respond to., improving responses, and covering student accommodation as well as campus life.
High rates of gender-based violenceViolence, harassment or abuse driven by someone’s sex or gender, which this bill treats as a campus safety problem to prevent and respond to. in universities, and poor complaint pathways that left many students and staff without clear support, exposed serious safety failures. The bill creates a national codeThe new national rulebook the bill would create for universities and other providers to stop, handle and report gender-based violence. that requires prevention plans, safer responses, senior accountability and government enforcement, including in student accommodation.
Years of evidence that sexual assault and harassment were occurring at Australian universities, including the 2017 Change the Course report and the 2021 National Student Safety Survey, also showed many students did not know how to report harm or get support. In 2025 the government opened the National Student OmbudsmanThe new complaints body students can go to when they are unhappy with how a university handled a problem, including gender-based violence complaints. and introduced this bill to force a national prevention and response codeThe new national rulebook the bill would create for universities and other providers to stop, handle and report gender-based violence., but the bill lapsed when Parliament was dissolved and was later reintroduced so the reform effort could continue.
The main criticism was not of the goal, but of how the bill would be enforced: critics argued the new watchdog should not sit inside the Education Department and warned the scheme could become unfair, overly centralised or a box-ticking exercise without enough guidance, transparency and resourcing. Those concerns were raised mainly by the Coalition and some crossbench supporters, while broader parliamentary backing for stronger action on gender-based violenceViolence, harassment or abuse driven by someone’s sex or gender, which this bill treats as a campus safety problem to prevent and respond to. remained in place.
Hon Jason Clare MP introduced this bill. Speeches supporting it came from Labor.
Did it become law?
No
The bill did not complete passage through Parliament.
Final passage
No final passage
The bill has not completed passage and is no longer proceeding.
Time before failure
50 days
From introduction to the final recorded step before the bill stopped proceeding
Meaning
Australian universities and other higher education providers would have to meet a new national codeThe new national rulebook the bill would create for universities and other providers to stop, handle and report gender-based violence. aimed at preventing gender-based violenceViolence, harassment or abuse driven by someone’s sex or gender, which this bill treats as a campus safety problem to prevent and respond to., improving responses, and covering student accommodation as well as campus life.
University leaders such as vice-chancellors and chief executives would be directly responsible for meeting the new codeThe new national rulebook the bill would create for universities and other providers to stop, handle and report gender-based violence. and for regularly reporting incident data and prevention work to their governing bodies.
Higher education providers would need gender equality plans, impact checks, and evidence-based training to tackle the causes of gender-based violenceViolence, harassment or abuse driven by someone’s sex or gender, which this bill treats as a campus safety problem to prevent and respond to. before harm happens.
The DepartmentThe federal department that would host the new specialist unit and enforce the code under the bill. of Education would get a specialist unit and powers to investigate providers, demand information, issue notices, accept undertakings, and take court action over breaches.
Providers approved for Commonwealth higher education funding could risk suspension or loss of approval if they seriously failed to follow the new codeThe new national rulebook the bill would create for universities and other providers to stop, handle and report gender-based violence..
The Universities Accord (National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence) Bill 2025 (the Bill) will establish a new standalone regulatory framework which seeks to reduce the incidence of gender-based violence, prioritise safety, proactively strengthen prevention efforts, improve the response to gender-based violence and hold providers accountable for their performance, including in student accommodation.Universities Accord (National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence) explanatory memorandum
It is proposed that accountability for compliance with the National Code will sit at the highest level of the provider’s organisation, the Vice-Chancellor, Chief Executive Officer or equivalent leader of the institution, and that regular reporting to a provider’s governing body on incident data, and efforts to prevent and respond to gender-based violence will be required.Universities Accord (National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence) explanatory memorandum
Change is also proposed to be driven by requirements in the National Code for providers to develop a Gender Equality Action Plan, Gender Impact Assessments and provide evidence‑based education and training on the factors that drive and contribute to gender-based violence.Universities Accord (National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence) explanatory memorandum
The Bill provides the Secretary with a range of powers to enable the unit to monitor and respond to non-compliance with the Bill or the National Code, includingUniversities Accord (National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence) explanatory memorandum
The Consequential Bill amends the Higher Education Support Act 2003 (HESA) to make compliance with the National Code a quality and accountability requirement for higher education providers approved under that Act. This will mean that a higher education provider’s non-compliance with National Code may also have consequences for that provider’s approval under HESA. For example, the Minister for Education could take action to suspend or revoke a provider’s approval under Division 22 of HESA.Universities Accord (National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence) explanatory memorandum
Context
Years of evidence that sexual assault and harassment were occurring at Australian universities, including the 2017 Change the Course report and the 2021 National Student Safety Survey, also showed many students did not know how to report harm or get support. In 2025 the government opened the National Student OmbudsmanThe new complaints body students can go to when they are unhappy with how a university handled a problem, including gender-based violence complaints. and introduced this bill to force a national prevention and response codeThe new national rulebook the bill would create for universities and other providers to stop, handle and report gender-based violence., but the bill lapsed when Parliament was dissolved and was later reintroduced so the reform effort could continue.
Change the Course report highlights sexual assault and harassment at universities
A later parliamentary speech said the landmark 2017 Change the Course report was one of the major inquiries that documented serious sexual violence and harassment across Australian universities.
Hansard ↗National Student Safety Survey shows the scale of harm and confusion about reporting
Parliamentarians cited the 2021 Universities Australia National Student Safety Survey as showing high rates of sexual assault and harassment and widespread uncertainty about formal reporting processes and support.
Hansard ↗National Student OmbudsmanThe new complaints body students can go to when they are unhappy with how a university handled a problem, including gender-based violence complaints. opens to investigate university complaints
When introducing the bill, the education minister said the new National Student OmbudsmanThe new complaints body students can go to when they are unhappy with how a university handled a problem, including gender-based violence complaints. had opened that week with powers similar to a royal commission to investigate complaints against universities.
Hansard ↗Government introduces the bill for a national university violence codeThe new national rulebook the bill would create for universities and other providers to stop, handle and report gender-based violence.
The bill was introduced to create an enforceable national codeThe new national rulebook the bill would create for universities and other providers to stop, handle and report gender-based violence. requiring higher education providers to prevent and respond to gender-based violenceViolence, harassment or abuse driven by someone’s sex or gender, which this bill treats as a campus safety problem to prevent and respond to., including in student accommodation.
Parliamentary timeline ↗Bill lapses when Parliament is dissolved
The first version of the bill fell away at dissolution, interrupting the government's initial attempt to legislate the new codeThe new national rulebook the bill would create for universities and other providers to stop, handle and report gender-based violence..
Parliamentary timeline ↗Government reintroduces the bill to restart the reform push
The bill was brought back in the new Parliament, allowing debate on the national codeThe new national rulebook the bill would create for universities and other providers to stop, handle and report gender-based violence. to resume after the earlier lapse.
Hansard ↗Legislative route
The bill was formally presented to the chamber and read a first time, which starts its parliamentary journey.
Introduced and read a first time
A minister or sponsoring member moved the second reading, opening the main debate on the bill's purpose and principles.
Second reading moved
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Considered by scrutiny committee (13/02/2025): Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills; Scrutiny Digest 2 of 2025
Considered by scrutiny committee
APH bill page notesThe bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Key criticism
The main criticism was not of the goal, but of how the bill would be enforced: critics argued the new watchdog should not sit inside the Education Department and warned the scheme could become unfair, overly centralised or a box-ticking exercise without enough guidance, transparency and resourcing. Those concerns were raised mainly by the Coalition and some crossbench supporters, while broader parliamentary backing for stronger action on gender-based violenceViolence, harassment or abuse driven by someone’s sex or gender, which this bill treats as a campus safety problem to prevent and respond to. remained in place.
Criticism was limited and mostly about regulator design, safeguards and implementation rather than the bill's core purpose.
Regulator lacks independence
Coalition speakers argued the bill puts too much power inside the Education Department instead of using or strengthening TEQSAThe higher education quality regulator that critics say should have been used more directly instead of placing the watchdog inside the department., raising concerns about independence, transparency and fair oversight of universities.
Risk of weak implementation
Several supporters warned the codeThe new national rulebook the bill would create for universities and other providers to stop, handle and report gender-based violence. will only work if the departmentThe federal department that would host the new specialist unit and enforce the code under the bill. and providers get enough funding, training and practical guidance; otherwise the reforms could become compliance paperwork rather than real protection for students.
Bill does not address antisemitism
Coalition members argued campus safety reform should also include a separate national codeThe new national rulebook the bill would create for universities and other providers to stop, handle and report gender-based violence. on antisemitism, saying the bill leaves out a serious harm affecting Jewish students and staff.
Further sources
Votes
No recorded votes were found before this bill stopped proceeding.
Parliamentary debate
Start here — lead voices
Jason Clare supports the bill and says it is the next step in creating a national higher education code to prevent and respond to gender-based violenceThe new national rulebook the bill would create for universities and other providers to stop, handle and report gender-based violence..
Read in Hansard ↗Bell says the coalition will support the bill because universities need stronger action on gender-based violenceViolence, harassment or abuse driven by someone’s sex or gender, which this bill treats as a campus safety problem to prevent and respond to., but it criticises the decision to create a regulator inside the Education Department instead of strengthening TEQSAThe higher education quality regulator that critics say should have been used more directly instead of placing the watchdog inside the department..
Read in Hansard ↗All speeches by bloc
1 speaker · 1 support
“These bills that I introduce today are the next steps.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
1 speaker · 1 mixed
“While the coalition has some concerns with this bill, namely, the establishment of a regulator within the Department of Education, we are committed to seeing new efforts within the higher education sector aimed at preventing and responding more effectively to insidious gender based violence.”Read the full speech in Hansard ↗
Record
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.
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.
House · Second reading debate
Second reading debate
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
House · Lapsed at dissolution
Lapsed at dissolution
The bill reached this recorded parliamentary step.
Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills
Considered by scrutiny committee
Considered by scrutiny committee (13 Feb 2025): Senate Standing Committee for the Scrutiny of Bills; Scrutiny Digest 2 of 2025
APH bill page notes
