Lee Rhiannon (NSW, Australian Greens) Share this | Hansard source

The Greens will support Senator Xenophon's amendments. We have amendments that also cover this issue. We actually think that it needs to go further than Senator Xenophon has set out, but we will certainly still support this. In doing that, Senator Xenophon and I have had a bit of a chat about this, which he has outlined, because what he is putting forward is quite minimal. The senator has set this out, but I think it is worth unpicking this a little bit further because it is extraordinary that this amendment is not being supported.

As Senator Xenophon said, it merely gives discretionary powers to the minister—powers that could possibly deal with losses additional to the tuition fees.

Senator Xenophon interjecting—

Yes, that is the emphasis here: that the minister could do nothing. It is the sort of thing that is amazing that the government did not come up with itself, so it would appear that it was doing something and then probably nothing would happen at all. I think we need to remember that what this ESOS bill is all about is seeking to strengthen protection of international students' interests. That is what many of us have spoken about here and that is what we are trying to achieve.

This issue does need to be addressed, because the damage that is being done to the education sector with regard to international students deciding if they will come to Australia is not just with regard to tuition fees. Many of them have been ripped off in other ways, and accommodation is a big one. I come from Sydney. I know how expensive accommodation in our city is, and this is so in many other areas. It can be a real burden on students and they often lose out. So here we have a minor regulatory mechanism that could be used if the minister so chose.

The fact that the government and the opposition are saying that they will not support it really does need to be emphasised because, while we have heard from the government and the opposition about the need for balance here, we are not seeing them striking a correct balance. What we are seeing is the balance being pushed to the providers and away from the students. The students are being left high and dry here. You can predict now that some international students are going to lose out when they are up for costs; they have put money forward and the services are not there. Accommodation is one of those areas where we know this will happen.

The failure of the government here again shows that while we have got a regulatory mechanism, which is essentially what this bill is all about, it is very minimal and in too many areas the providers are favoured over the students. I think the response we are hearing from the government and the opposition on this is actually very informative.