Overview

• From the first day of Term 3, 2025, principals can suspend or expel students whose off-campus or online behaviour poses serious risks to school communities.
• The government says the policy brings Victoria in line with New South Wales and South Australia and targets incidents such as assaults and AI deepfake harassment.
• Ben Carroll described the change as a last-resort tool to protect students, teachers and staff and to reinforce respectful school environments.
• Australian Principals Federation president Tina King warned that the extended jurisdiction could create unrealistic expectations from parents that principals serve as investigators or law enforcement.
• Separately, the government has backed a statewide mobile phone ban in schools and allocated funding for sexual harm support services and programs promoting positive student behaviour.