New independent watchdog to protect students at Australian universities

CANBERRA, Sept. 11 (Xinhua) — A new independent watchdog will be established to ensure student safety at Australian universities under new government legislation.
Jason Clare, the Minister for Education, on Wednesday introduced legislation to parliament to establish the National Student Ombudsman to investigate student complaints against universities and resolve disputes.
The independent watchdog will allow all students to escalate complaints about the actions of their higher education provider and will have strong investigative powers to compel universities or students to produce documents, information and other records.
The new body is part of the action plan to address gender-based violence on university campuses, which was agreed to by federal, state and territory education ministers earlier in 2024.
The 2021 National Student Survey found that one in 20 Australian students have been sexually assaulted at university, and one in six have been sexually harassed. Fifty percent of respondents to the survey said they felt they were not heard when they made an official complaint. ■