
CANBERRA, 2 October 2023: The Albanese Government has announced today the next steps it is taking to strengthen integrity in the international education sector and better protect students. These actions will tackle serious integrity issues in the sector as identified in the Rapid Review into the Exploitation of Australia’s Visa System (Nixon Review).
The number of international students studying Australian courses totalled 622,032 for the January-June 2023 period, says the Education department website.
The Age said on October 1, 2023 , “The Nixon review, which has yet to be released by the government, was triggered by revelations in a series of reports by The Sydney Morning Herald, The Age and 60 Minutes on human trafficking, foreign worker exploitation and visa scams.
“The party is over: the rorts and loopholes that have plagued this system will be shut down,” Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil said.
As part of its response to the Nixon Review, the Albanese Government plans to build risk indicators across the international education system. These risk indicators will inform a monitoring framework that will drive targeted compliance by education regulators, and we will increase monitoring of student attendance.
In a combined media statement today Minister for Education, Jason Clare, Minister for Skills and Training, Brendan O’Connor and Minister for Home Affairs, Clare O’Neil said, ” The Government also plans to amend the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS Act) to strengthen the existing fit and proper provider test. This will strengthen the standards required to gain and hold provider registration and prevent cross-ownership of businesses between education providers and education agents.
In addition, we will prohibit agent commissions on student transfers between providers in Australia to remove incentives for unscrupulous agents and providers to ‘poach’ students.
Providers will be given greater access to agent performance data such as student completion rates and visa rejection rates. These benchmarks will help providers choose quality education agents as partners.
These actions build on the changes we announced in August to remove a loophole used to move students who had been in the country less than six months to new providers to facilitate work instead of study.
Minister for Education, Jason Clare said, “International students are back, but so are the shonks seeking to exploit them and undermine our international education system.
“That’s why we are acting.
“Students from around the world choose to come here first and foremost for the high-quality education we offer.
“The Nixon Review identified the need to increase monitoring and compliance in the international education sector and the Government is responding.
“The Government will outline further measures to crack down on dodgy and unscrupulous players in the international education sector in the next few days.”
Meanwhile, in a joint media statement the Federal Shadow Education Minister with Shadow Minister for Immigration and Citizenship Dan Tehan andthe Deputy Leader of the opposition Sussan Ley said there are, ” More questions for Labor on mishandling of international students.”
Following today’s announcement, they say, Australians will have many questions:
- How will these minor changes stop the criminals?
- Why has it taken so long for such a sub-standard response?
- How many of the additional international students that arrived while the Government sat on this report are involved in unscrupulous behaviour?
- Will these minor changes do anything to reduce the record number of international students arriving in Australia and the impact this is having on rental shortages?
- Why is there no mention of targeting registered migration agents, education agents and VET providers involved in criminal money laundering operations, as recommended by the Nixon Review?
- Why won’t the Government release the full Nixon Review to the public?
Universities Australia has welcomed the further actions announced today by the Albanese Government to protect and strengthen the integrity of Australia’s international education sector.
“International students seeking a world-class education at our universities deserve nothing less,” Universities Australia Chief Executive Catriona Jackson said.
“These latest steps the government is taking will help protect students from unscrupulous operators seeking to exploit them for personal gain. Enough is enough.”