Home | Member Updates | AHEIA further submission to Review of the Closing Loopholes Acts
AHEIA has lodged a further submission to the Review of the Closing Loopholes Acts, responding to the Draft Report released in May 2026. While supporting a number of the Review's objectives, AHEIA argues that several recommendations fail to address significant unintended consequences currently affecting the higher education sector.
The submission highlights concerns that aspects of the legislation are reducing workforce flexibility, limiting the ability of universities to develop more secure employment pathways, and creating barriers to meaningful enterprise bargaining reform. AHEIA also raises concerns about the impact of current provisions on productivity, workforce planning and the ability of universities to respond to changing operational and financial environments.
AHEIA supports the establishment of a strengthened tripartite forum involving universities, unions and government to address emerging workplace relations issues, simplifying complex enterprise agreement provisions and improve wage integrity outcomes. The submission also supports targeted review of wage theft provisions while emphasising that complexity and ambiguity in enterprise agreements remain the primary drivers of compliance challenges within the sector.
The submission calls for a number of legislative amendments and further review processes to ensure workplace relations settings support both fair employment outcomes and the long-term sustainability of Australia's higher education sector.
Read AHEIA's full submission to learn more about the recommendation and proposed reforms.