Edging toward AU$19 billion, Australia’s international education sector has hit record levels as tensions surrounding immigration in other, once popular student destinations like the US and UK rise and foreign student inflow slides.

The focus on relaxing student visa laws in Australia has resulted in a 15 per cent increase on the previous year in the spending of the estimated half a million foreign students in Australia according to figures recently released by the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS).

These figures affirm that international education remains on of Australia’s most important exports, says Senator Richard Colbeck, the Minister for Tourism and International Education. Education is Australia’s third-largest export after iron ore, which is worth AUS$54.5 billion,  and coal, which is valued at AUS$37.9 billion.

“International education is also a major generator of jobs, with the sector supporting over 130,000 jobs in cities and regions throughout Australia,” said Senator Colbeck in a recent media release. “The government is determined to ensure the international education sector continues to be one of the major strengths of the Australian economy.”

The total export income generated by all international education activity was just short of AUS$19 billion. This comprised spending by onshore students of some AU$18.2 billion, and  offshore earnings from other educational services and royalties which generated an additional AUS$603 million.

This was the message from the Taiwanese foreign ministry to Taiwanese nationals after noting the increase in the arrests of young people from Taiwan by the Australian police.

In a single police raid last week in Brisbane, 27 Taiwanese were arrested, 25 of them were visiting the country under working holiday visas, one holding a transit visa and another a tourist visa, according to Bob Chen, Deputy Director General of the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry.

It is alleged that the Taiwanese nationals were brought to Australia on false pretences, and then held and told to work to pay back those who paid for their passage to Australia.

Mr Chen said this is not the first time that Taiwanese citizens have been arrested in Australia over alleged involvement in fraud schemes this year. A previous case was reported this August when more than a dozen Taiwanese were arrested on similar charges in Queensland.

After being given the run around for several months to a request for DIBPs staff contact details under the FOI, the DIBP eventually refused the request of Melbourne Solicitor Maria Jockel who then had to turn to the office of the Information Commissioner for a review of the decision.

DIBP provided various excuses to Ms Jockel late last year on why they could not provide her with information relating to “the structure of the Department and various contact lists for particular sections within the Department, including the ‘top structure’ of senior management.”

“Ms Jockel particularly sought the Department’s Australian State and Global structure charts; and contact lists that identify the position names, title, telephone number and email addresses of relevant staff members.” According to the Information Commissioners decision.

The DIBP responses effectively told her to look it up online indicating that it would take too much time and effort and may potentially require them to consult with ‘several hundred employees’ before providing her with their personal information. Ironically, Ms Jockel had successfully obtained similar information under the FOI from the DIBP on previous occasions.

The Information Commissioner was not satisfied with DIBPs responses and found that the DIBP “has not discharged its onus under s 55D of the FOI Act of establishing that its decision is justified…” and ordered the DIBP to “process Ms Maria Jockel’s request, and notify her of its decision no later than 30 days…”

Businesses in the Northern Territory are struggling due to a 30 per cent drop in occupancy rates with some forced to close down, according to a report on NT News.

Alice Springs’ Toddy’s Backpackers is closing its doors due to the steady fall in backpacker numbers over this year. A report by the Australian Hotels Associations (AHA) said hospitality traders in Darwin were down 20 to 30 per cent on the previous year.

The AHA says things are set to get much worse from July 1, 2016 when working holiday visa holders will lose the tax-free threshold of $18,000 and be required to pay 32.5 per cent tax from the first dollar earned.

The report states that budget travellers are already turning their sights to New Zealand and Canada, which have cheaper visas with less stringent requirements. A Working Holiday Maker visa in Australia is $440 compared with $150 in Canada.

The Fair Work Ombudsman will audit up to 200 businesses throughout western Sydney as part of a new campaign to check that employers are paying the correct wages and are compliant with record-keeping and pay-slip obligations.

The campaign which will focus on businesses located in and around Merrylands, Guildford, Fairfield, Parramatta and Mount Druitt will see inspectors checking that employers are paying the correct minimum hourly rates, penalty rates, allowances, loadings and providing appropriate meal breaks to their employees.

Employers from a range of sectors will be included, such as manufacturing, road freight transport, carpentry, building and industrial cleaning, computer system design, cafes and restaurants, investigation and security, childcare, hairdressing and beauty, and employment placement and recruitment.

All businesses will be randomly selected, according to the media release from the office of the ombudsman.

Fair Work Ombudsman Natalie James says western Sydney is home to thousands of businesses and the Agency receives a constant stream of requests for assistance from employees across the western suburbs.