The Brumby Government must act on recommendations from a review of Australia’s international education industry, Shadow Minister for Tertiary Education and Training and Nationals Leader in the Legislative Council Peter Hall said today.
The Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 Review, led by former MP Bruce Baird, found that Australia’s $17 billion education sector is plagued by numerous problems.
Mr Hall said Victoria was not immune to serious problems with the international education industry after several colleges in Melbourne collapsed, leaving thousands of international students stranded.
“Some colleges were closed as a result of rapid audits by the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA) which found fraudulent providers failed to even meet basic education standards,” Mr Hall said.
“Mr Baird found dodgy operators – accounting for 20 per cent of the vocational sector – were rorting the system and that there was a need for a streamlined approach to help regulate the industry.”
The Baird review investigated concerns about ineffective application and enforcement of regulations and inadequate complaints and dispute handling services, with the majority of submissions supporting measures to strengthen the complaints process for international students.
Mr Hall said VRQA, Victoria’s state education regulator, was overburdened as it was tasked with the job of both registering and regulating 1300 educational state providers in Victoria.
“The Brumby Government should listen to Mr Baird’s recommendations and establish an independent watchdog to monitor complaints about compliance issues,” Mr Hall said.
“International education is Victoria’s largest export, with 160,000 international students contributing almost $5 million to the economy in 2009.
“The Brumby Government must take Mr Baird’s recommendations seriously and adopt a more streamlined process to regulation and complaints to maintain quality and integrity in Victoria’s education system.”
Media contact: Peter Hall (03) 5174 7066
