Australian Immigration Daily News

Summary of the Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment (Quality and Integrity) Bill 2024

The Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment (Quality and Integrity) Bill 2024 introduces significant changes to enhance the quality, integrity, and sustainable growth of Australia's international education sector. Key amendments include:

1. Education Agents and Commissions:

   • Ownership and Control Disclosure: Providers must disclose any ownership or control relationships with education agents, and vice versa.
   • Commission Transparency: Providers are required to provide information about commissions paid to education agents, promoting transparency and reducing exploitative practices.

2. Registration and Course Delivery Requirements:

   • Domestic Course Requirement: Providers must offer courses exclusively to domestic students for two consecutive years before registering to provide courses to overseas students.
   • Automatic Registration Cancellation: Providers that do not deliver courses to overseas students for 12 consecutive months will have their registration automatically cancelled.

3. Management of Provider Applications:

   • Application Suspension: The Minister can suspend the processing of new provider registrations or course additions for up to 12 months to address integrity issues or manage sustainable growth.

4. Enrolment Limits:

   • Student Enrolment Caps: The Minister can set limits on the number of overseas students that providers can enrol, both overall and for specific courses, to ensure sustainable growth and quality education.

5. Investigation of Offences:

   • Fit and Proper Provider Test: Providers under investigation for specified offences can have their registration automatically suspended, reinforcing the commitment to integrity in the education sector.

6. Suspension and Cancellation of Courses:

   • Quality Assurance: The Minister can suspend and cancel courses that do not meet quality standards or align with Australia's skills and training priorities.

Financial Impact: The financial impact over the forward estimates period includes minor costs for implementing the new requirements, with a focus on enhancing regulatory oversight and integrity.

Consultation and Human Rights Compatibility: Extensive consultation with education sector representatives and relevant government agencies has been conducted to ensure the amendments support the quality and integrity of Australia's international education sector. The Bill is compatible with human rights, promoting the right to education by ensuring quality education services for overseas students.

Overall, the Bill aims to strengthen the regulatory framework for international education in Australia, ensuring only genuine and high-quality providers can operate, thereby safeguarding the interests of overseas students and maintaining Australia's reputation as a provider of world-class education.

Source: Education-Services-for-Overseas-Students-Amendment-Quality-and-Integrity-Bill-2024.pdf and 

Education-Services-for-Overseas-Students-Amendment-Quality-and-Integrity-Bill-2024-Explanatory-Memorandum.pdf