Gordon Reid (Robertson, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Education. Why is it important to strengthen integrity in the international education system, and what is standing in the way?

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

I thank my friend the real-deal member for Robertson for his question. Yesterday I told the House about the shonks and the crooks who feed off our international education system, exploiting students to make a quick buck here in Australia. That's why this government is acting to protect the integrity of this sector, after these problems were allowed to fester by the previous Liberal government.

In September 2022, we set up the Parkinson review into our migration system. And in January 2023 we set up the Nixon review into the exploitation of Australia's visa system, and it made this very serious point:

… 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.

These reviews exposed the need to act to protect the integrity of our international education system, and we've moved quickly to act on the recommendations of those two reviews. In July last year we got rid of the Liberals' unlimited work rights for international students; in August last year I closed the loophole that allowed dodgy agents and providers to shift international students from genuine study to no study at all—just using the system as a back door to work here; in October last year we created a $38 million integrity unit to crack down on the shonks and the crooks; in March this year we increased the English language requirement for international students; in May we increased the amount of money that international students need to bring with them to get a student visa; and in July we doubled the visa application charge.

But that's not all that we're doing. The legislation that's in the parliament at the moment doesn't just set up a cap on the number of international students that can come to this country in any year. The bill that is currently before the Senate that the Liberal Party and the Greens are in bed together stopping also does this: it prevents education providers from owning an education agent business; it requires providers to educate Aussie students for two years before they're allowed to recruit international students; and it prevents providers who are under serious regulatory investigation from recruiting new international students. This is what the Liberal Party is planning to vote against. I wonder why?