Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations) Share this | Hansard source

Thank you very much, Senator O'Neill, for a very important question to end the week on, because Australia's education system is the envy of the rest of the world, but that doesn't mean that we can't improve it so it continues to deliver for students and for our country. That's why the Albanese government has taken the responsible step to return the number of international students to a sustainable level and to bring integrity back to our tertiary education sector.

All week, Australians have been scratching their heads about why Peter Dutton and the Liberal Party have recklessly reversed their support for international student caps and cracking down on the shonks and crooks who feed our international education system. Well, this morning we got our answer, and it's sitting right around there. A story in the Nine newspapers titled 'Senior Liberal headlines event for student visa agents before tanking migration bill' lifted the lid on the real reason the coalition has reversed its position. The article states:

Coalition frontbencher Sarah Henderson—

hello, Sarah—

headlined an event for migration agents and private colleges and launched a new brand for a Liberal Party member who helps international students extend stays in Australia just a month before tanking Labor's bill to crack down on the private education sector.

Well, well, well. Senator Henderson can now add 'brand ambassador' to her long list of careers. The article goes on:

Henderson, who leads the opposition's education policy, spoke at the private forum attended by dozens of … agents—some of whom have had restrictions imposed on them by the tertiary education regulator or helped international students appeal their visa rejections …

And then the kicker:

Some of the companies are also Liberal Party donors.

And there you have it: Senator Henderson and Mr Dutton have recklessly changed their position on this bill to appease a few dodgy donors.