They say rules are meant to be broken, but when it comes to the ones in the Big Brother Australia house, there can be serious consequence for breaking them.
From singing to having sex, housemates are given a hefty, detailed handbook of rules and regulations to follow during their stay.
Violations can result in a loss of privileges, financial penalties, being forced to undertake tasks or, in the most serious of cases, immediate eviction.
So what are some of the rules Australian housemates must abide by? Read on to find out!
Are housemates allowed to have sex?
Big Brother Australia 2021 runner-up Christina Podolyan revealed in a recent TikTok video that while housemates are allowed to be intimate, it has to be above board.
“You have to ask Big Brother for permission before you get jiggy with it,” she explained, adding she wasn’t “speaking from experience”.
“Let’s say you’re about to get it on, right? You literally have to get up, you have to go to the Diary Room…
“You have to say, ‘Big Brother, may I please have consent?’” she continued.
“Then the other person has to come in and say, ‘Big Brother, may I please have your permission to get down and dirty with someone?’ Then Big Brother says yes or no.”
2025 contestant Jane Marshall-Doherty – the oldest contestant at 67, who was eliminated in a double eviction – confirmed that consent plays a big part in the code of conduct.
“There is a code of conduct, and I think it’s 150 pages,” she told Chattr. “Say a couple go off, like Coco and Bruce… you have to give consent to cuddle up and maybe kiss.”
Is there a restriction on luggage?
Christina revealed that luggage is inspected by production prior to the contestants going into the house.
“Some things they’ll confiscate, some things they’ll leave behind,” she said, adding that hairdryers aren’t allowed as the noise drowns out conversations.
She went on to add that suitcases were weighed, with a strict allowance of 23kg.
“I was so petrified to be over,” Christina said with a laugh, revealing she hid several dresses under her pillow for the inspection, repacking them once the producer left!
“It’s a shopping addiction, sorry!” she mock-cried.
Are the housemates allowed to know what time it is?
With not a single clock in the house, the housemates rarely know what day or time it is – so much so that Christina said Big Brother often had to them when to go to bed!
“Sometimes they’d be like, ‘Housemates, go to bed,’ and we’re like, ‘Well, it doesn’t seem that late,’” she recalled.
Surprisingly, she said having no way to tell time was “the good part” about the experience.
Why aren’t the housemates allowed to sing in the house?
Due to copyright reasons, contestants aren’t allowed to sing “any music at all” – or even hum for that matter.
Housemates would immediately be called to the Diary Room for infractions, or Big Brother would make an announcement reminding them that “no commercial music is to be sung”.
However, 2025 housemate and musician, Abiola, broke the singing rule when she belted out some lyrics on the show.
But, considering they were jingles of her own creation, it was unlikely she faced any serious punishment, though Big Brother might have had a stern word.
Big Brother airs Monday To Friday at 7.30pm, and Sundays At 7pm. Watch and Live Stream 24/7 On 10.
