Russell Broadbent (McMillan, Liberal Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

My question is to the Minister for Education. Will the minister inform the House of the benefits to the Australian international education sector, following the successful negotiation of the Australia-China Free Trade Agreement?

Christopher Pyne (Sturt, Liberal Party, Leader of the House) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I am delighted to get a question from the member for McMillan on higher education and international exports, because this side of the House is focused on jobs and focused on growth. The China-Australia Free Trade Agreement will lead to more jobs in Australia and more growth in Australia, adding to the wealth of our nation and our people.

Last week, I signed two agreements with my Chinese counterparts as part of the free trade agreement, which will broaden and deepen the international education relationship between Australian institutions and Chinese institutions and researchers. The Department of Education has today released a research snapshot which shows that China is a quarter of our international education exports—$4.1 billion out of $16.3 billion. International education is our third-largest export, and China is No. 1 as part of that international export. This is a very important development for Australian institutions, whether they are universities or whether they are schools. There are 130,000 Australians already employed in Australian universities.

The practical impact of the free trade agreement is that, within a year of it being signed, 77 non-university higher education providers will immediately become part of the official Chinese website, which says to Chinese students and potential Chinese students that these institutions are trusted places for Chinese students to attend. They add to the 105 already there; but those 105 had to painstakingly go through the process, one by one, to get there. The free trade agreement clears the hurdles that would have been in the paths of those 77 institutions, leading to a direct benefit for Australians in terms of jobs, in terms of growth and in terms of adding wealth to our country. So I do welcome this development and congratulate the Minister for Trade and Investment on delivering on it.

I say to the senators who are currently considering the higher education reform bill that this practical change to the free trade agreement affects states like South Australia, where $972 million a year goes because of international education exports; Queensland, $2.4 billion; and Western Australia, $1.2 billion. In Victoria, it is their No. 1 export, earning them $4.7 billion. When the Senate comes to consider the higher education reform bill, it should consider that, if we do not change our universities, the international education market is at risk in the future—directly affecting jobs, growth and wealth in this country.