Submissions
English Australia proactively engages with the commonwealth government, state/territory governments and other bodies in representing the English language industry perspective on a range of matters of relevance to its over 120 member colleges throughout Australia who provide quality English language programs to students and professionals from around the world.
As the peak industry body and voice of the industry, English Australia maintains a global reputation as the acknowledged thought leaders within the English language industry in Australia.
| Date | Title | Description |
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27/07/15 |
On 7 July 2015 the Australian Government released exposure drafts of the Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment (Streamlining Regulation) Bill 2015, and the Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration Charges) Amendment (Streamlining Regulation) Bill 2015 (the Bills) for consultation. Education institutions, peak bodies and all other interested stakeholders were encouraged to comment on the exposure drafts. |
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20/06/15 |
On 1 June 2015 English Australia was contacted by the Australian Government Department of Education and Training and invited to provide input to a Government initiated review of the Tuition Protection Service (TPS) - Governance and Administration Arrangements. |
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01/06/15 |
On 1 April the Government released for consultation the Draft National Strategy for International Education. The release of this draft strategy initiated a consultation process to ensure that the final strategy represents a shared national vision and responsibility. |
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16/05/15 |
The Australian Government has asked the Commission to undertake a study into barriers to growth in Australian services exports, focusing on the education, financial services, health services, information technology, professional services and tourism sectors. As English Australia contributed to the International Education Services (IES) research report which covered issues to be addressed in this larger study this submission generally limits itself to commenting on relevant aspects of the IES research paper and identifying omissions which the Commission may wish to take into consideration. |
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08/12/14 |
Streamlined visa processing (SVP) arrangements were first introduced in 2012 as a recommendation of the 2011 Strategic Review of the Student Visa Program conducted by Mr Michael Knight AO (the Knight Review). The primary objective of the arrangements is to support the sustainable growth of international student numbers through simpler and faster visa processing while maintaining immigration integrity. It is timely to examine whether these arrangements are meeting their objectives and to explore potential opportunities to further enhance the arrangements. To this end, the Department of Immigration and Border Protection (DIBP) will undertake a strategic evaluation of the current SVP arrangements. The evaluation is expected to play a key role in informing the possible future direction of the student visa program following the expiry of the current policy guidelines that underpin SVP in mid-2016. |
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07/12/14 |
The Productivity Commission has commenced a research project examining selected policy issues affecting Australia's exports of international education services. Its primary focus will be on the policy settings associated with student visas. The international education services sector makes a significant contribution to the Australian economy. The student visa program is a key policy lever influencing the demand for Australian education services by international students. The incentives and barriers inherent in the conditions and procedures attached to student visas have the potential to affect not only the volume and type of applicants, but also how international education services are provided. These demand and supply responses have implications for the long term sustainability of the sector. The research project will analyse the incentives for, and barriers to, Australia's exports of international education services with a specific focus on the student visa program. |
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28/10/14 |
A discussion paper ‘Reform of the ESOS framework’ was released on 1 October 2014 to seek views from interested stakeholders on opportunities to improve the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS Act) and associated legislative arrangements. The current review of the ESOS framework seeks to: reduce burdens on education institutions offering courses to international students by ensuring government and statutory agencies request only the information they genuinely need and use to ensure Australia’s education system is of the highest quality and integrity; ensure a more efficient registration process for education institutions by streamlining domestic and international education standards and quality assurance frameworks; increase opportunities and flexibility for organisations to provide education in a contemporary manner that meets the needs of international students; support the student visa system. |
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27/10/14 |
The Government has commissioned a joint review of charges, fees and taxes at the border which will focus on identifying where the border charging arrangements can be improved to better support future border operations and outcomes for industry. On 17 September 2014 an industry consultation paper was released, providing the opportunity for industry to contribute ideas on how current arrangements could be improved. English Australia welcomes this review as an important opportunity to influence Australia’s competitiveness and attractiveness as a study destination. |
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27/09/14 |
On 4 September 2014 English Australia was contacted by the Department of Education and invited to provide input to a Post-Implementation Review (PIR) of some of the legislative changes that resulted from the 2012 amendments to the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (ESOS Act). The PIR is required by the Office of Best Practice Regulation and focuses largely on the operation, effectiveness and regulatory impact of the Tuition Protection Service (TPS). It also encompasses another change implemented in 2012 relating to national registration on the Commonwealth Register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students (CRICOS). |
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19/03/14 |
This submission has been made to DIBP in response to a request to provide feedback on an internal review of the Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) requirement of the Student Visa Program. A number of issues emerged as the GTE requirement was initially rolled out in 2012, and the international education industry has been vocal in calling for a review of its implementation ever since. |
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28/11/13 |
The seven education peak bodies have come together again to make a joint submission to the government's Commission of Audit. The Commission has been established by the Australian Government as an independent body to review and report on the performance, functions and roles of the Commonwealth government. The Commission has a broad remit to examine the scope for efficiency and productivity improvements across all areas of Commonwealth expenditure and will report to the Prime Minister, Treasurer, and the Minister for Finance with the first phase of the review due by the end of January 2014, and the second phase by the end of March 2014. |
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06/04/13 |
This submission has been made in response to the Australian Skills Quality Authority (ASQA) 2013 Cost Recovery Impact Statement—Exposure Draft which was released for public comment. ASQA was established as a cost recovery agency in accordance with a decision made by the Council of Australian Governments (COAG). ASQA has undertaken a review of fees and charges utilising financial and activity data from its first year of operations. The results of the review revealed that ASQA’s current fees and charges are not recovering the costs of regulatory activity. A revised schedule of fees and charges has been developed for implementation from 1 July 2013 in order to meet cost recovery requirements. ASQA requested feedback on the: design of ASQA’s proposed fees and charges; clarity of ASQA’s proposed fees and charges; impact of the proposed fees and charges on the sector. |
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18/06/12 |
In October 2011 the Minister for Tertiary Education, Senator the Hon Chris Evans, announced the formation of the International Education Advisory Council to inform the Government’s development of a national, long-term strategy for the international education sector. On 24 April 2012, the Council released a discussion paper which raises a number of themes and questions that will help to inform the development of a five-year national strategy to support the sustainability and quality of the international education sector. The English Australia submission provides input to this process. |
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25/04/12 |
On 22 March 2012 the Senate referred the Migration Legislation Amendment (Student Visas) Bill 2012 for inquiry and report. The Bill amends the Migration Act 1958 and the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 to abolish the automatic cancellation of student visas and create a new system in which information conveyed by student course variations more strategically analyses and targets non-compliance. English Australia has made a submission to the Senate Committee regarding the impact of this Bill. |
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16/03/12 |
The review of the SVP AL framework is tasked with recommending reforms to the current Student visa risk management framework that will not only enhance integrity in the Student Visa Program, but will also facilitate the competitiveness of Australia's international education sector. Consideration of a provider‐based risk management approach is a focus of the review. A discussion paper was released on 31 January 2012 to seek views on the issues raised in the review’s Terms of Reference. |
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26/02/12 |
The scale and pace of Asia’s transformation is unprecedented and the implications for Australia are profound. The Australian Government has commissioned a White Paper on Australia in the Asian Century to consider the likely economic and strategic changes in the region and what more can be done to position Australia for the Asian Century. Interested people and organisations were invited to make a written submission to the Australia in the Asian Century White Paper by 26 February 2012. To assist in the preparation of submissions, the Advisory Panel released an Issues Paper that outlines broad issues and asks questions to prompt further discussion. |
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16/12/11 |
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In December 2011 English Australia made a supplementary submission to the Senate Committee investigating the ESOS TPS Bills. This submission focused primarily on the proposal in the Bills to limit the amount of pre-paid fees that providers could accept from students. |
20/10/11 |
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The purpose of the Bills is to make amendments to the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 (the ESOS Act) to implement the Government’s second phase response to recommendations from the recent Baird review of the Education Services for Overseas Students legislative framework. On 13 October 2011 the Senate jointly referred the Bills for inquiry and report. The Committee sought written submissions from interested individuals and organisations. |
