Legislation to establish a National Student Ombudsman for higher education students has passed Parliament.
The National Student Ombudsman will provide students with an independent and impartial means to have complaints investigated and disputes resolved, improving the oversight and accountability of universities.
Students will be able to escalate complaints to the National Student Ombudsman about the actions of their higher education provider, if they’re unsatisfied with their provider’s response. The National Student Ombudsman will be able to handle complaints about a broad range of issues, including:
- student safety and welfare, including gender-based violence
- course administration, such as timeliness and accuracy of information provided to students
- teaching provision and facilities, such as sufficiency of staffing to meet educational, academic and administrative needs of students
- disciplinary processes, such as procedures to address misconduct
- reasonable adjustments for students with disability or experiencing special circumstances.
The National Student Ombudsman will be a new statutory function of the Commonwealth Ombudsman and will begin taking complaints from 1 February 2025.
Minister for Education, the Hon Jason Clare MP said:
“Not enough has been done to address sexual violence in our universities and for too long students haven’t been heard. That begins to change with the passage of this legislation.
“Universities aren’t just places where people work and study, they are also places where people live, and we need to ensure they are safe.
“I am pleased to welcome Sarah Bendall as she leads the new National Student Ombudsman function.
“I want to thank Sharna Bremner from End Rape on Campus, Camille Schloeffel and the team from the STOP Campaign, Renee Carr from Fair Agenda, Dr Allison Henry and all those who have fought for this.”
The establishment of a National Student Ombudsman is the first action of the Action Plan Addressing Gender-based Violence in Higher Education (Action Plan). In February 2024, Education Ministers agreed to the Action Plan, which recognises the unique role of higher education providers in addressing gender-based violence and providing safe study, work, social and living environments.
To find out more about the role of the National Student Ombudsman, head to https://www.education.gov.au/national-student-ombudsman.