Contents
2Commencement#
(1)Each provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.
| Commencement information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 |
| Provisions | Commencement | Date/Details |
| 1. The whole of this Act | The later of:(a) 1 January 2027; and(b) the first 1 January, 1 April, 1 July or 1 October to occur after the end of the period of 28 days beginning on the day this Act receives the Royal Assent. | 1 January 2027 |
Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this Act as originally enacted. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this Act.
(2)Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this Act. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this Act.
3Crown to be bound#
This Act binds the Crown in right of each of the States, of the Australian Capital Territory and of the Northern Territory. However, it does not bind the Crown in right of the Commonwealth.
4Act does not impose tax on property of a State#
(1)This Act does not impose a tax on property of any kind belonging to a State.
(2)In this section:
property of any kind belonging to a State has the same meaning as in section 114 of the Constitution.
5Definitions#
In this Act:
higher education provider has the same meaning as in the Ombudsman Act 1976.
6Imposition of levy#
(1)Levy is imposed on a body for a calendar year if the body is a higher education provider at any time during:
(a)for the calendar year in which this section commences—the period starting at that commencement and ending at the end of the calendar year; and
(b)for a calendar year starting after the commencement of this section—the calendar year.
(2)Subsection (1) applies despite section 48 of the Australian National University Act 1991.
7Amount of levy#
(1)The amount of levy payable by a body for a calendar year is the amount (including a nil amount):
(a)prescribed by the regulations for that calendar year; or
(b)worked out for that calendar year in accordance with a method prescribed by the regulations.
(2)Before the Governor-General makes regulations for the purposes of subsection (1), the Minister must be satisfied that the effect of those regulations will be to recover no more than the Commonwealth’s likely costs in connection with the National Student Ombudsman’s performance of its functions and exercise of its powers under a Commonwealth law.
Note: The National Student Ombudsman’s functions are set out in section 21AC of the Ombudsman Act 1976.
(3)The regulations may provide for indexation of amounts specified in the regulations.
10Regulations#
The Governor-General may make regulations prescribing matters:
(a)required or permitted by this Act to be prescribed; or
(b)necessary or convenient to be prescribed for carrying out or giving effect to this Act.
[Minister’s second reading speech made in—
House of Representatives on 10 September 2026
Senate on 16 September 2026]
(120/26)
Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at legislation.gov.au, © Commonwealth of Australia, licensed under CC BY 4.0. Compilations may have been reformatted.