Karen McNamara (Dobell, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Education and Training. Will the minister inform the House of the benefits to the international education sector of the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement? How does this agreement help boost jobs and growth across the economy?

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I thank the member for Dobell for her question.

Mr Champion interjecting—

Tony Smith (Speaker) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

The member for Wakefield will leave under standing order 94(a).

The member for Wakefield then left the chamber.

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I know that the member for Dobell, like most members on this side of the House, is keenly interested in growing the international education sector even further than it has grown in the last two years under this government. It has grown from about $15½ billion to over $18 billion in just two years—a 14 per cent increase in enrolments in just 12 months. We have done it because this government has brought a laser-like focus to the management of international education—things like, for example, the streamlined visa processing arrangements and, also, the new Coordinating Council on International Education which, for the first time, has brought together those ministers in the government who have responsibility for international education, whether it be the Minister for Industry and Science, the Minister for Education and Training, the Assistant Minister for Immigration and Border Protection, the Minister for Foreign Affairs and the Minister for Trade and Investment. We are coordinating the government's response, because there is tremendous opportunity in the modern Australian economy to grow international education using our very high-quality reputation around the world for higher education.

The China-Australia Free Trade Agreement, sometimes called the ChAFTA, is a new opportunity to do that by opening the Chinese market even more through the good work of the Minister for Trade and Investment. The China-Australian Free Trade Agreement clears away a number of obstacles for private providers of higher education and the university sector, allowing them to get into the Chinese market and bring more international students here. It also establishes more joint ventures and arrangements in China to use the best of the Chinese institutions and the best of the Australian institutions to improve the skill sets of both Chinese and Australian young people. So I am very pleased that the China-Australia Free Trade Agreement has a large services component.

I am also pleased that the Minister for Trade and Investment is working on the Australia-India Comprehensive Economic Cooperation Agreement. I met with Prime Minister Modi when I was in India recently and I talked specifically about this issue, because India is our second largest market. There are great opportunities through free trade to grow international education even further. It is one of the great success stories of the last two years, and it has not been achieved by accident. It has been achieved by sensible planning, coordination of government policy an open mind to international education, a welcoming approach and things like making visa arrangements easier and collaborations easier. It is good for jobs and good for growth in the economy. It is the future of the Australian economy, and I am very pleased to have had oversight of it.