Gary Humphries (ACT, Liberal Party) Share this | Hansard source

I present the report of the Education, Employment and Workplace Relations References Committee, Welfare of international students, together with the Hansard record of proceedings and documents presented to the committee.

Ordered that the report be printed.

by leave—I move:

That the Senate take note of the report.

In presenting this report, I have to say the committee began an interesting inquiry following a series of violent attacks upon Indian students in Sydney and Melbourne. But what began as an issue focused on racism and physical abuse gradually transformed into an issue focused on the quality of education provided to international students in Australian institutions. Stories of assaults on Indian students in Australia gained a great deal of attention in the Indian media and, I have to say, caused some harm to Australia’s reputation as a safe destination for students when those stories were run. But the real story, as it emerged over time, was the frustration experienced by international students in their dealings with the educational institutions in which they were enrolled.

The evidence presented to the committee indicated that a majority of the problems related to private colleges in the VET sector. Overall, the committee was pleased to learn that the majority of international students were satisfied with their decision to study in Australia and are happy to recommend Australia as a study destination. It is very important that we emphasise that the overall quality of our education system was affirmed by this inquiry. It is true, however, that some students experienced difficulties during their time here relating to a range of factors, and it is those factors that the committee addressed most particularly in its report.

An issue that was raised with the committee by many witnesses concerned public transport fares. Although international students are eligible for concessions on public transport in the majority of states, they pay full fares in the most populous states—that is, New South Wales and Victoria. International students view their lack of eligibility for fare concessions in those places as inequitable and discriminatory. This issue raises much resentment, given that international students already pay full fees and that domestic students on comparable incomes are typically eligible for such concessions. In view of the benefits that accrue to these states from international education and full-fee-paying international students, the committee strongly urges these states to reconsider their policy and to extend fare concessions to all students.

International students are new to this country. They are new to our way of life and our culture. Sometimes they are even relatively new to our language. They may not be aware of the sometimes subtle differences between the way things are done here and the customs of their own countries. It is important—indeed, imperative—that international students have access to comprehensive and accurate information about life in Australia, about studying here, about their individual education providers and about the range of support services available to them when they arrive. International students also need detailed information about the costs of living in Australia, including the costs of accommodation, food and public transport. They do not necessarily know the rights conferred on them by law and should be made aware of those rights, particularly those of tenancy and employment. They also need to know about general safety and security, whether that be the safety level of a particular suburb where they might live or the safety of the public transport system at night. We take these things for granted; they do not necessarily have the ability to do that.

Education providers and agents, as well as governments, have a role to play in making this information available. Ensuring that accurate information is available from a credible source in the first instance is a government responsibility, and ensuring its distribution and ongoing availability is the joint responsibility of agents, education providers and governments. The committee recommends that a hard copy booklet which contains a wide range of information based upon the Study in Australia website and the online student guide be distributed to students when their visas are granted.

The role of education and migration agents was another key area for the inquiry. It became apparent that some education agents exhibited unscrupulous behaviour in recruiting international students. Some agents were accused of misleading students regarding the facilities of education providers, the cost of living in Australia and employment opportunities. However, the committee believes that the majority of agents act in an ethical manner and are an important asset of Australia’s education industry. The committee recommends that education providers deal exclusively with education agents who have been professionally accredited, with this requirement being phased in over three years. The committee feels that this action would assist in restoring confidence in an industry damaged by the devious actions of a few.

As part of their visa conditions international students are allowed to work 20 hours per week during the semester. Some witnesses suggested to the committee that this limit should be extended—possibly to 24 hours—or even removed completely. While the committee does not wish to see the situation where student visa applicants come to Australia with the primary intention of working, it recommends that this limit be the subject of a serious review by government.

The committee heard of anomalies in the assessment of breaches of visa conditions. No discretion may be applied, for example, when students are found to have breached their visas on employment grounds, but exceptional or compassionate circumstances may be considered in assessing breaches of other kinds. The committee finds this inequitable and recommends that the Department of Immigration and Citizenship review the process for assessing visa breaches on employment ground.

Education providers should obviously be the first point of contact when students have complaints. However, if students feel that their complaints are not being responded to in an adequate and timely way, they should have reliable complaint mechanisms outside of their own institutions. Students should feel confident that these complaints will be acknowledged and handled by an independent body which will act in the best interests of the students, the providers, the international education sector and, indeed, Australia’s reputation in this area. For these reasons the committee recommends the establishment of an international education ombudsman, a role that could be taken on, for example, by the Commonwealth Ombudsman.

The committee heard of regulatory failure in the form of inadequate auditing and monitoring of quality control in some private VET institutions. A review of the legislation that governs international students, of course, is being undertaken at this time by the Hon. Bruce Baird. The committee understands that this review will consider more effective regulatory processes and ways to improve quality in the sector, and it looks forward to the findings of this review. In particular, the committee acknowledges that COAG is set to consider the issue of a national regulator for the VET sector. The committee supports the establishment of such a body, because it will strengthen the regulatory mechanisms in and quality of the international education sector.

In order to gain registration, education providers must comply with the national code, a provision under the ESOS Act. The committee heard evidence that the national code was aspirational, vague and open to interpretation. Witnesses cautioned that the code should specify minimum standards. The committee supports these calls and recommends the inclusion of benchmarks to the code to allow effective enforcement and to provide clarity to education providers.

Finally, it needs to be said that there are many benefits to be gained from a robust international education sector. The recent closures of colleges, allegations of substandard services offered by some providers and occasional violent attacks upon overseas students are damaging to the sector and to Australia’s global reputation as a provider of international education. The committee welcomed the opportunity to be part of the effort, which has been made at a number of levels, to address the issues identified by stakeholders to improve the educational experience of these students in Australia and to make the standard of their experience safe and of a high quality. I thank members of the committee who undertook this inquiry. It was a very interesting inquiry. I thank the committee secretariat for its work in providing an overview of the very important area of Australia’s role as an education provider in our world.