On October 15, the University of Melbourne Student Union (UMSU) passed a motion to expel registered sex offender Bao Phuc Cao from the Union. 

Cao’s UMSU membership has been terminated and he will now be barred from buildings administered by the Student Union. 

With Cao’s UMSU membership terminated, he will no longer be able to receive most UMSU services, join UMSU clubs and societies, or be eligible for UMSU student discounts. However, Cao can still access UMSU’s online and telephone services. Moreover, the UMSU Sexual Harm Response Coordinators will be implementing regular checks within UMSU bathrooms to ensure there are no hidden cameras.

“We obviously don't want a student that threatens the community and the feeling of safety in our community to be a part of these events, where there is potential for more distress and discomfort,” Women’s Committee Member Keiyona Shankar told Farrago. 

Bao Phuc Cao was sentenced to a 12-month adjourned undertaking without conviction in March 2026, after pleading guilty to secretly filming a woman underneath the cubicle walls of a public restroom in Docklands, in February.

Court proceedings found similar non-consensually acquired content of 150 women in Cao’s possession. 

Cao was first given a Community Corrections Order and sex offender treatment requirements in October 2024, when he pled guilty to offences pertaining to the non-consensual filming of women in student accommodation facilities and shared bathrooms and showers. 

Cao leaving the Melbourne Magistrates Court without a conviction in March, Nine

Cao avoided imprisonment, and his enrollment status at the University of Melbourne is publicly unknown. This has become of concern to students of the University of Melbourne.

The Women’s Department told Farrago that taking these actions are their only option in ensuring students are safe. 

Despite requests, the University of Melbourne has failed to clearly communicate with the Women’s Department on the state of Cao’s enrollment. 

Farrago has previously questioned the University on Cao’s enrollment. A University of Melbourne spokesperson stated they are unable to provide clarity on the issue due to legally “binding confidentiality and privacy obligations”. 

Women’s Office Bearer (OB) Eya Takrouni has spent months trying to terminate Cao’s Union membership, as this has become the only avenue the Women’s Department can take to ensure the safety of its peers.

“We would even love to do a motion that calls out the University for more transparency [on this issue]”, but aren’t sure about the legalities of it,” Takrouni stated. 

Takrouni told Farrago about how common it has become for students to reach out and express concerns about their safety, because of Cao’s potential presence on campus. 

“We do receive messages, comments, emails; What is happening?, Am I safe?, Can I use toilets without fear?, without having to check the [gaps of a cubicle] to see if there’s any cameras hidden?”, Takrouni said. 

The Struggle to Terminate Cao’s UMSU Membership 

The Women’s Department’s pursuit of terminating Cao’s UMSU membership has taken months. 

The motion to terminate Cao’s membership was meant to be passed at the previous session of Students’ Council in October, however not enough voting members of council were present to reach quorum, and Council could not proceed. 

The Women’s Committee first pursued action against Cao in May, when they sent a draft letter of expulsion to UMSU General Secretary Daniel Motika, to be passed onto the sex offender. However, the Women’s Department did not receive updates from Motika and were unaware of the fact that this expulsion couldn’t take place due to a need for specific procedures. 

Following this, Council decided in July to pursue the termination of Cao’s UMSU membership, following the passing of a motion that declared Cao had breached the interests of UMSU within the meaning of clause 3.1(b) of the Constitution. 

The motion being voted on most recently was a follow-up action from the passed motion in July. 

However, Takrouni told Farrago that between July and September, Motika had delayed emailing Cao a Student Termination Notice Letter". This letter must be sent 21 days prior to the council meeting that decides whether or not a student will face expulsion. 

Takrouni declared to Farrago that the General Secretary had not responded to her emails and Microsoft Teams messages asking for this letter to be sent. The OB had spent the time between July and September attempting to contact the General Secretary to send the termination notice, but failed to receive a response until now. 

Motika sent this termination letter to Cao in September. 

Farrago reached out to Motika questioning the delay.

“The required notice period for the motion to be considered has been satisfied and the motion to expel the student from UMSU's membership will be considered [at the October 15 Council],” Motika stated. 

Takrouni also stated her most recent OB report had been left out of the Council agenda by the General Secretary. 

The Women’s OB shared this report with Farrago, which included a brief critique of Motika. 

“However, despite multiple emails and follow-ups, the General Secretary has ignored our emails from the Women's Department and disregarded the request [to remove Cao’s UMSU membership due to misconduct that doesn’t coincide with UMSU’s values],” Takrouni stated in her OB report. 

“Show Up For Women” Campaign

On October 15, the Women’s Department hosted an event to show support for the women impacted by Cao, and to aid the passing of their motion.

Approximately thirty people were in attendance. 150 flags were laid out by attendees on the grass of Systems Gardens to symbolically represent the estimated 150 women affected by Cao. 

“I know people understand the idea of gender-based violence and understand what it means on an intellectual level, but to see it visualised and to see it as a reflection of the reality that so many people have experienced is something we feel like would be a useful way of connecting with not just the student body, but also with councillors, and other people that are in positions of power at the University of Melbourne,” Shankar said. 

This event is a part of the Women’s Department’s broader “Show Up For Women” campaign, organised in tandem with UMSU President Lushy Chinganya’s “safe@uni” and “safe@home” campaigns. 

This initiative aims to educate students on the supportive systems they have access to through UMSU, encouraging them to report any sexual harassment they experience. 

These services include the UMSU Sexual Harm Response Coordinators, the Safer Community Program, and the Speak Safely Portal. 

University of Melbourne student, Women’s Committee member and attendee of the event, Clarrisa Sothy spoke to Farrago about the importance of showing up. 

“We cannot accept a world where women are walking around feeling unsafe. They’re subjected to this kind of violence, and nothing is being done about it. We need something to be done about it, and this starts now with our UMSU, with this council and voting to make sure, even if the higher authorities have essentially dropped accountability for Cao… that we at least can do something,” she said. 

Image source: Felicity Bayne and Erin Ibrahim