The Australian Government announced over the weekend that it would introduce legislation this week to “further support the health and sustainability of the international education sector”. A May 11 media release described the bill as representing “the next step in achieving the goals of the government's immigration strategy”.
The headline of the announcement was that planned legislation would allow Education Minister Jason Clare to limit the number of new international enrollments Australian providers can offer. Australian person The newspaper characterized these new limits as a “soft cap” and said they were “better than hard limits on student numbers.” The flexibility of this cap model, or the flexibility, allows providers to “create additional new supply of purpose-built student accommodation to benefit both international and domestic students and reduce pressure on student accommodation.” arises from the clause “permits recruitment in excess of the upper limit if established.'' rental market. ”
Although the department needs more information about the implementation of the new cap before drawing any firm conclusions, there is no doubt that this is a significant setback for Australia's international education sector. Restrictions on alien registration.
In addition to capping enrollments, the proposed legislation would introduce a series of additional measures, some of which have been previously proposed by the government. Namely:
- Education providers will no longer be able to hold ownership positions in educational institutions.
- Registration of new international education providers will be suspended for up to 12 months. The same applies to the approval of new courses proposed by existing registered providers.
- Educational institutions and schools wishing to register as international education providers will be required to demonstrate “a track record of providing quality education to domestic students before being allowed to recruit international students”.
- Dormant provider registrations will be canceled.
- Registered providers under investigation by the regulator will be prohibited from recruiting new international students.
- Additional data sharing related to education agents will occur.and
- Agent fees related to student athletics transfers are prohibited.
Introducing the new measures this weekend, Skills and Training Minister Brendan O'Connor said: “Most education providers are doing the right thing and are providing education and training for the right reasons. They will benefit from the international education available to them.” So are the government's efforts to crack down on informal and unscrupulous operators who undermine the sector's integrity and trust,” he added, “because there is no place for dangerous operators who undermine the sector's strong reputation.” This sector is making it more difficult for bottom-tier companies to make money from international students. ”
Early sector response
Immediately reacting to the government's announcement, Universities Australia chief executive Luke Sheehy said: We cannot afford to let this work go to waste…we are working closely with governments to provide the international education sector with the necessary support to give it a strong and sustainable foundation to grow into the future. We will co-design policy settings. ”
Phil Honeywood, CEO of the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA) added: [pending legislation]the federal government is considering allocating a limit on the number of new overseas students that can be admitted to each CRICOS. [Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students] Registered provider.
While consultation with stakeholders has been provided, this latest move will once again send the wrong message about Australia's credibility as a welcome study destination. Add to this the recently announced changes to financial ability requirements, delays and backlogs in visa processing, and prospective students and education agents will be incredibly disappointed. Other measures are also expected, including a significant increase in student visa fees. ”
Group of Eight CEO Vicky Thomson said: 'Given its importance, we need to consider and nuance every combination of policy settings. If neither is the case, the solution will be neither.” “Consultation is very important to ensure the right setup.”
Consultation framework
In a joint launch over the weekend, Education Minister Jason Clare, Skills and Training Minister Brendan O'Connor and Home Secretary Claire O'Neill also announced the draft International Education and Skills Strategic Framework. This framework details each element of the pending legislation outlined above and sets the stage for government and industry consultation on the implementation of these new measures and other long-term directions for Australia's international education sector. It's something to fix.
“The Government will spend the coming months consulting with industry on all aspects of the framework and will publish the final framework later this year,” the joint release said, adding: Compared to pre-pandemic levels, the focus has now shifted to managing numbers in this area more strategically over the long term. ”
The framework specifies a wide range of consultation questions, including:
- “Are there further reforms that the government should consider to improve the quality and health of this sector?”
- “What more can providers do to improve the health of the international education sector?”
- “What factors will influence the government’s approach to allocating international student enrollment across sectors, providers and locations in Australia?”
“This Strategic Framework marks a significant change for Australia's international education sector,” the draft framework document concludes. “The Government will seek input from industry and stakeholders on the issues raised ahead of finalizing the Strategic Framework in late 2024.”
“The Government is committed to carefully managing Australia's international education sector and strengthening its quality, integrity and reputation. The goal is to strengthen the quality and integrity of the education sector, strongly align educational outcomes to skills needs, And continuing to build innovative delivery models are just some of the key steps we take to improve Australia's position as a world leader in education. ”
There is little room for disagreement with these statements. But even so, the industry will have plenty of questions about the nature of the upcoming talks. Given that this week's announcement on registration caps (and related measures) came unexpectedly over the weekend, and with the framework already in place, it is unclear whether the government is ready for genuine cooperation talks. Many questions remain as to whether the agreement was simply a matter of agreement. A roadmap for further reform.
See below for additional background.
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