Jason Clare (Blaxland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Education) Share this | Hansard source

Can I thank members for their contribution to this debate. As I said when I introduced the Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment (Quality and Integrity) Bill 2024, this is an important piece of legislation, because international education is important to Australia. It's our fourth biggest export; the biggest that we don't dig out of the ground. And it is no ordinary export. It not only makes us money; it makes us friends: those graduates who, when they go home, take back home with them a love and affection for our country—something that they carry in their hearts, in their lives and in their careers. In the world that we live in, you can't put a value on that. That's why it's important that we protect international education's integrity and quality, and that we ensure that it can grow sustainably over time.

This bill does both of those things. It addresses the issues that the Parkinson and Nixon reviews and the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade have singled out for urgent action. The Parkinson review told us that some institutions, driven only by profit, sell student visas to students who only want to work, not study. The Nixon review made the serious point that:

… there can be much profit to gain for those who choose to engage in the provision of immigration assistance that aids illegal sex work, human trafficking, modern slavery and money laundering.

The Nixon report told us that there are some providers colluding with agents to funnel students into criminal activities and agents misleading international students with false advice about their courses and their living and working conditions, leaving them vulnerable to exploitation. The actions of these unscrupulous providers damage the excellent reputation of this important sector that overwhelmingly does fantastic work.

This bill will protect the sector and students from these bad actors. It will improve the integrity and quality of the education agent system by strengthening the fit and proper requirements. It also lays the foundation to ban commissions for onshore transfers. It also increases transparency and allows providers to make better-informed decisions about which international education agents they engage with. It also strengthens controls over the registration of providers and the courses they offer—for example, stopping ghost colleges, fronts that sit empty while students use their visa to work. It also helps to combat abuses in the darkest corners of the sector—human trafficking, slavery and slavery-like practices. In short, we are shutting out those who might try to make a quick buck off our reputation as a place to get a great education. That's the first objective of this bill.

The second objective is to help set up international education for sustainable growth over the long term. We have around 10 per cent more international students in our universities today than we did before the pandemic and around 45 per cent more international students in our vocational institutions. We need to manage the sector's growth in a way that benefits Australia and our institutions whilst maintaining the sector's social licence. That includes encouraging universities to create new supply of student accommodation to benefit both domestic and international students as part of their future growth.

At the moment, growth in international student numbers is essentially unregulated. What this bill does is allow for the management of the number of international students a provider can enrol at a provider level, a course level or both. It also allows for the limitation of courses with systemic quality issues or limited value to Australia's critical skills need or where it is in the public interest to do so. Through the government's International Education and Skills Strategic Framework, we will implement measures to improve the experience of students.

As I said when I introduced this bill, I'm serious about working with the sector to get these reforms right. I've been working closely with the Council for International Education to shape these reforms. My department has led an extensive consultation process since May of this year, with more than 150 stakeholders and more than 115 written submissions. In June, I spoke to the Parliamentary Friends of International Education here in this building and I talked about putting in place better levers to shape the sector and give it the kind of certainty that it needs—the kind of certainty that many stakeholders have called for throughout this consultation process, to plan for the future in a sustainable way. That's what this part of the bill is all about—sustainable growth and certainty for the sector, and maximising the value of international education for all Australians.

I acknowledge in particular members of the crossbench who have engaged with me and my office on this bill. I note the amendments suggested by the member for Kooyong to require a review, to take place in 2026, of the provisions that allow me to set limits, and I am pleased to say that the government is in a position to support that amendment now. I also note the amendments proposed by the member for Curtin, the member for Goldstein, the member for North Sydney and the member for Warringah. I know that it is an important issue and that this is an important piece of legislation for them. Although the government is not in a position to support their amendments at this time, I have discussed with a number of members of the crossbench my intention to explore these further as the Senate inquiry progresses and the bill moves to the Senate. As I said when I introduced this bill, the government will give serious consideration to any amendment that will improve it. I also reiterate the government's commitment to continue consulting with the sector on these reforms, and I look forward to the work of the Senate Education and Employment Legislation Committee in their inquiry which is currently underway. I commend the bill to the House.

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