There’s a New National Student Ombudsman – What Does it Mean for Students?

Fun fact: the word ombudsman is Nordic 

Content warning: this article discusses sensitive and mature content. 

As of 1 February 2025, the Federal Government have launched a National Student Ombudsman.

Ngl, but the concept of an ombudsman is kinda confusing.

But in this case it’s basically a way for tertiary students to lodge their complaints and resolve disputes with unis.

What is an ombudsman?

An ombudsman is an independent person or group of people who investigates any complaints made against someone or a company. The word ombudsman is actually Nordic and means ‘representative’.

The National Student Ombudsman is a function of the Office of the Commonwealth Ombudsman.

According to them “when complaints are brought to our attention we look at all sides of the story”.

An ombudsman should be an impartial party who looks into any complaints made against another party.

What is the National Student Ombudsman?

The National Student Ombudsman, led by Sarah Bendell, will work with students and higher education providers to resolve complaints. In this case, the ombudsman is free and independent.

There are a huge range of issues that the National Student Ombudsman can receive complaints about. These can range from:

• Student welfare and safety (including gender-based violence)
• Course admin (such as accuracy of info provided and also the timeliness of information provided to you as a student)
• Teaching provision and facilities (such as sufficiency of staffing to meet educational, academic and administrative needs)
• Disciplinary processes (such as any procedures to address misconduct)
• Reasonable adjustments for students with a disability (or experiencing special circumstances)

The National Student Ombudsman can consider whether a uni/higher education provider’s decision or action was unreasonable, unjust, oppressive, discriminatory or just wrong.

They can recommend the provider take steps to resolve the complaint and provide a process to rectify the issue.

Why did this come about?

There have been multiple reports which have come out, detailing the ways students felt unsafe during their time as a uni student.

In 2021, the National Student Safety Survey found one in 20 uni students had been sexually assaulted since starting their studies.

In 2024 a student-led report surveyed more than 800 people and found two thirds of those surveyed had experienced or witnessed casual racism. With 30 per cent surveyed experiencing overt racism at uni itself.

Late last year, students at the University of Sydney were filmed ripping up a report on rape and harassment and hazing at residential colleges.

These are just some instances where students were made to feel uncomfortable or unsafe on campus. And as a result the federal government felt the need to introduce an ombudsman. It was also a recommendation from the Australian Universities Accord Report.

This ombudsman is the first action of the Action Plan Addressing Gender-based Violence in Higher Education (Action Plan).

How can students make a complaint?

To make a complaint, students can head to the National Student Ombudsman website.

If you have any issues with your uni, or maybe you’re not happy with the way a complaint was handled by your higher education provider, you could get in touch with the ombudsman.

However, the ombudsman can’t force a uni to take action in your favour. They can only make recommendations.