Katie Allen (Higgins, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

From the co-discovery of penicillin to aircraft black boxes, wi-fi and Google Maps, Australia has always prided itself as a country of ingenuity. The higher education sector in Australia plays a critical role in driving innovation and productivity as well as equipping students with the necessary skills for future success. My background as a professor at not just one but two universities—one here and one in the UK—gives me a strong appreciation for the higher education sector. I will always be a champion for efforts to strengthen and grow the sector here in Australia.

I've taught across the full spectrum of educational sectors and supervised dozens of higher-degree students. It's been a great privilege to teach these young students, a privilege that I have taken very seriously. Not only was I teaching them research methodologies and content expertise but I was also providing guidance on how to approach their subject with an ethical and open mind. I actually think Brand Australia has, at the heart of it, a very authentic, ethical, pragmatic approach to education, learning, academia and the pursuit of higher education, and central to that is the concept of integrity.

In recent decades there has been tremendous growth in the number of students pursuing higher education in Australia. As of 2016, approximately 56 per cent of Australian 19-year-olds undertake post-secondary-school qualifications, jumping from 41 per cent a decade ago. At the same time, those pursuing a postgraduate degree rose by 46 per cent. With regard to post-secondary-school qualifications, my own children currently contribute to the statistics. This has occurred alongside Australia emerging as the third-most-popular destination for international students in the English-speaking world. That is something to be proud of, particularly when we know that Australia is a long way from Europe and the US. Prospective students are drawn to our proximity in the Asia-Pacific region, and we are respected for our institutions but also for our way of life and, as I said before, our way of thinking. We are a reflection of the culture that we embody.

Economically, the provision of education to overseas students amounts to $32 billion as an industry. Additionally, the emergence of virtual learning technology, really pioneered here in Australia, is allowing more Australians than ever before to pursue higher education. From 2011 until 2015, domestic enrolments from regional locations increased by 17 per cent—this is very pleasing—and Indigenous enrolments increased by 38 per cent. One in four Australian students are now completing university units online. It is literally a plethora of opportunity.

As our fourth-biggest export, it is crucial that we endeavour to maintain confidence and integrity in the higher education sector. However, the growth of our education sector and the development of technology have also coincided with the development of third-party academic cheating services. This commonly involves the provision of academic material for student assessment or impersonating a student in an exam or a practical test. This is big business. Companies such as MyMaster and EssayMill reaped $160,000 in 2014, before being investigated.

I commend the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Amendment (Prohibiting Academic Cheating Services) Bill 2019 for seeking to curtail this activity and safeguarding the integrity of the higher education sector. The bill will make it an offence to provide, arrange or advertise academic cheating services to students studying with Australian higher education providers and imposes harsh criminal and civil penalties. TEQSA will be appointed to enforce the new laws and will be empowered to gather intelligence, investigate and prosecute offenders. Importantly, the bill targets the providers of cheating services, not the students who might use such services. Instead, those who cheat will remain subject to their institution's own academic integrity policies. This is important, as third-party academic cheating services often target vulnerable international students. I have experience, in my own professional life, of seeing young students from Asia with poor English struggling to deal with their courses and being targeted by these terrible services.

Furthermore, university administrative services are often stretched as they attempt to meet the complex needs of international students in Australia. This bill is an important step in protecting the value of our international students and the value of our higher education sector. And we do value the sector. The bill, importantly, sends a message to employers that Australia takes the integrity of its higher education system and its graduates very seriously.

The University of Melbourne flagged concerns in 2019 that punitive measures would be imposed against unpaid assistance under the proposed bill. This has been addressed by exempting legitimate academic services, such as certified tutoring companies, from the bill. The bill therefore appropriately balances the preference of universities that they address the issue of unpaid assistance through existing academic integrity frameworks.

The value of our higher education sector relies on us protecting its integrity. This bill equips TEQSA with the appropriate tools to stamp out third-party academic cheating services and ensure our education institutions remain world-class. It will ensure that universities remain competitive on a global scale and an attractive destination for students and will also make our graduates more attractive to our employers.

Australia is not the only country susceptible to the threat of third-party academic cheating services. However, by taking stern action we will safeguard the reputation and legacy of our academic pioneering. I'm pleased to support this important bill.

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