Australia’s international education sector is a crucial component of its economy and society, contributing significantly to both economic growth and cultural diversity. However, the sector faces challenges that threaten its integrity, quality, and sustainability. In response, the Albanese Government is taking decisive action to address these issues through new legislation and a strategic framework. This article outlines the key measures proposed to enhance the sector’s integrity and sustainability, drawing on the main structure of recent announcements and integrating essential insights from the draft International Education and Skills Strategic Framework.
Legislative Reforms for Enhanced Integrity
The Albanese Government will introduce new legislation aimed at bolstering the integrity and sustainability of the international education sector. This legislation will empower the Minister for Education to set a maximum number of new international student enrolments for education providers, based on advice from the Minister for Skills and Training for vocational education.
The proposed legislation includes several significant reforms:
- Prohibiting Education Providers from Owning Agent Businesses: This aims to eliminate conflicts of interest and ensure that agents operate independently and ethically.
- Pausing Applications: The Minister can pause applications for registration from new international education providers and for new courses from existing providers for up to 12 months, allowing for thorough scrutiny.
- Track Record Requirement: New providers must demonstrate a history of quality education delivery to domestic students before they can recruit international students, ensuring that only reputable providers enter the market.
- Canceling Dormant Registrations: Dormant provider registrations can be cancelled to prevent misuse by unscrupulous actors seeking market entry.
- Recruitment Restrictions: Providers under serious regulatory investigation will be barred from recruiting new international students.
- Improving Data Sharing: Enhanced data sharing on education agents will increase transparency and accountability.
- Banning Agent Commissions on Transfers: To curb incentives for unscrupulous behavior, agent commissions on student transfers between providers in Australia will be prohibited.
Draft International Education and Skills Strategic Framework
In addition to legislative reforms, the Government has released a draft International Education and Skills Strategic Framework for consultation. This Framework aims to support a system of sustainable, managed growth in international student enrolments, focusing on maintaining high standards of quality and integrity.
Key Objectives of the Framework:
- Quality and Integrity: Strengthening integrity across the sector from recruitment to course delivery, ensuring that only high-quality providers operate.
- Sustainable Growth: Implementing reforms for sustainable growth, balancing community sentiment, and student expectations, and ensuring high-quality learning experiences.
- Global Engagement: Expanding offshore and online education, promoting international partnerships, and encouraging transnational education and innovation.
Addressing Recent Challenges
Recent reviews have highlighted issues within the international education sector, such as the exploitation of international students and subversion of education and migration systems. The Government’s zero-tolerance approach to poor practices includes strong compliance actions and managing student numbers to prevent further issues.
The Framework proposes several strategies to address these challenges:
- Regulatory Changes: Enhancing provider accountability, increasing English language and financial requirements for visas, and targeting unscrupulous practices.
- Student Experience: Ensuring a safe, high-quality education environment, supporting employability, and fostering people-to-people links.
- Economic and Strategic Interests: Aligning international education with Australia’s foreign policy, economic, and development goals.
Implementation and Monitoring
The reforms will be implemented through a structured approach, with ongoing monitoring to ensure progress. Collaboration between the government, education providers, and businesses will be crucial in addressing challenges and leveraging opportunities. Building and maintaining public support for international education is also a priority.
Managed Growth: The Government will work with international education providers to limit the number of international students that can be enrolled over a specific period. Universities wishing to exceed these limits must establish additional, new supply of purpose-built student accommodation to benefit both international and domestic students, alleviating pressure on the rental market.
Supporting Regional Universities
The Framework aims to provide greater certainty for the sector, particularly Australia’s regional universities, enabling international education to better contribute to Australia’s skills needs. The Government will consult with the sector on all aspects of the Framework over the coming months and release the final version later this year.
Impacts of New Reforms on International Students, Agents, and Institutions
Expert opinion from the Students Herald’s experts
The proposed legislative reforms and strategic framework will significantly impact international students in Australia. By tightening regulations and enhancing the quality and integrity of education providers, the Government aims to create a safer and more supportive environment for these students. Enhanced protection measures, such as preventing education providers from owning agent businesses and pausing new applications for registration, will close loopholes that have allowed unscrupulous providers to exploit international students. This will ensure that students are not misled or taken advantage of by unethical providers.
Quality assurance is another significant benefit. By requiring new providers to demonstrate a track record of quality education delivery to domestic students before recruiting international students, the Government ensures that only reputable and capable institutions can offer education to international students. This guarantees a higher standard of education and a better overall experience for the students.
The reforms will significantly alter the operations of education agents, emphasizing ethical conduct and transparency. Agents will face stricter regulations, including the prohibition on education providers owning agent businesses, eliminating conflicts of interest, and ensuring that agents operate independently and in the best interest of students. This change will elevate the professionalism and trustworthiness of agents in the sector.
Operational changes will be necessary as institutions under serious regulatory investigation will face restrictions on recruiting new international students. This will compel institutions to resolve any compliance issues promptly and operate transparently. Canceling dormant provider registrations and pausing applications for new registrations will prevent market saturation and ensure that only active, high-quality providers remain. This will enhance the overall quality of the sector and reduce the presence of substandard institutions.
