New Phone Restrictions and Aboriginal Recognition for Victorian Education

Education and Training Reform Amendment Bill 2026

1st House

2nd House

Law

This bill was sponsored by Benjamin Carroll (ALP)

Links to official parliament websites

Official page: progress through parliament

Effects of this bill

If this bill passes, it means that:

Schools must develop and implement a policy restricting students from using personal electronic devices (including mobile phones) during school hours; this requirement comes into operation on 28 January 2027.
A Statement of Recognition of Aboriginal people as First Nations people is inserted into the Education and Training Reform Act 2006, and all education bodies must have regard to principles of Aboriginal self-determination across the whole education system.
Teachers must complete mandatory Aboriginal cultural understanding professional development training; this requirement takes effect from 1 August 2027.
The rules for retaining and removing entries on the Register of Disciplinary Action for teachers are updated, giving the Victorian Institute of Teaching greater discretion to remove old entries.
A penalty applies for falsely representing that a person holds, or previously held, registration as a teacher.

News articles and press releases