Universities Accord (National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence) Bill 2025, Universities Accord (National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence) (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2025
Mr CLARE (Blaxland—Minister for Education) (17:06): I thank all members for their important contributions to this debate. These bills, the Universities Accord (National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence) Bill 2025 and the Universities Accord (National Higher Education Code to Prevent and Respond to Gender-based Violence) (Consequential Amendments) Bill 2025, provide for the establishment and enforcement of a national higher education code to prevent and respond to gender based violence.
They are an important next step in making students and staff safer on our campuses. As I said, I thank members for their contributions in this debate. I note the second reading amendment from the member for Berowra.
The government takes the issue of antisemitism at universities very seriously. Antisemitism, or any form of racism, harassment, discrimination or intimidation, must not be allowed to threaten the safety of students and staff on Australian university campuses or anywhere else. I have been clear that universities must enforce their codes of conduct and meet their legislative obligations, which include having policies around freedom of speech, fostering a safe environment and ensuring student and staff wellbeing.
Since 1 February this year, the independent National Student Ombudsman has been open and operating, and the ombudsman, as has been said in this debate, is a national first. It is available to handle complaints from students about experiences of antisemitism on university campuses, as well as complaints about all other matters, in particular the issues we are debating here today—sexual assault and sexual harassment on university campuses as well as in student accommodation.
The ombudsman is required to report to government at the end of each financial year about the nature and number of complaints that it has received. The government has received the Special Envoy's Plan to Combat Antisemitism from Jillian Segal and will soon receive a report from the Special Envoy to Combat Islamophobia, Aftab Malik. We're also anticipating later this year the final report from the Race Discrimination Commissioner into racism at Australian universities.
The government will consider these reports carefully. Last week I announced that the government will strengthen the powers of the tertiary education regulator, TEQSA—the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency—to respond to governance issues like this and others in our universities. At the moment, TEQSA has, effectively, a sledgehammer and a feather and not much in between.
I think there's a good argument that it needs better tools to be able to step in and act, when it's justified in the public interest, and be able to respond to systemic risks, not just the compliance of individual providers. I will soon release a consultation paper to the sector on the nature of those reforms. The government will not be supporting the second reading amendment as proposed at this time.
We're taking this action now as it forms a key commitment under the Action Plan Addressing Gender-based Violence in Higher Education, following more than a decade of dedicated advocacy on behalf of victims-survivors of sexual assault and sexual harassment on campus. I commend these bills to the House. The SPEAKER: The original question was that this bill be now read a second time.
To this, the honourable member for Berowra has moved, as an amendment, that all words after 'that' be omitted with a view to substituting other words. The immediate question before the House is that the amendment be agreed to.