Trish Crossin (NT, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I understand and appreciate that we are short of time today and that there are still a couple of bills to get through before we start question time at two o’clock, so I seek leave to incorporate my speech. I just want to say, in doing that, that the essence of my speech goes to Christmas Island and Cocos (Keeling) Islands getting the ability to be registered as CRICOS providers under the ESOS Act. Finally, we welcome this acknowledgment by the government. I am sure that people on Christmas Island will acknowledge and welcome this announcement as well.

Leave granted.

The speech read as follows—

• ESOS Act 2000 regulates provision of education for overseas students in Australia.
• Protects our reputation and the integrity of our education “export” industry by ensuring overseas students receive a quality education for which they paid. At the same time ensures students comply with their visa conditions.
• This Bill represents the third group of amendments to the Act in order to implement recommendations made under the evaluation of the ESOS Act, carried in 2004.
• Our education “export” industry is now our 4th most valuable, behind iron ore, coal and tourism, contributing around $10 billion annually. So certainly worthy of protection.
• We have supported our international education sector since the 1980’s when the Hawke Government first opened our universities to overseas students.
• We do still seem to have a good reputation, despite this governments under funding our public education sector, especially in universities, for a decade now.
• Public schools have been squeezed for funds.
• We have seen in particular our universities and VET sectors seriously squeezed for funds and forced into charging higher fees, opening the gate to full fee paying students and balancing the change in funding mix under this government.
• Indeed one might say the drive for overseas students has been forced on our higher education sector as one way of regaining revenue cut by this government.
• We have also recently seen examples of poor monitoring of some, a minority, of the education providers, where overseas students have had very poor teaching or tuition and certainly not received anything like value for the money they have paid.
• In several documented instances, for example in provision of business or hospitality courses, although the Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET) has raised the issues with the department, their responses have been rather less than overwhelmingly keen to act on the complaints.
• That we still have a good reputation is due to the efforts of those involved in provision of education to overseas students more than the Howard Government.
• In particular though I am now most happy to see sections of this bill now supporting the inclusion of the Indian Ocean Territories within the Act. This amendment is in response to a recommendation of the ESOS Evaluation to include the IOT, and to provide in particular Christmas island District High School with the opportunity to apply for registration on the Commonwealth register of Institutions and Courses for Overseas Students  (CRICOS)
• Under this amendment a new section 4B will allow an education provider on Christmas island or Cocos ( Keeling) Island  to apply for this registration
• While I realise that this does not yet mean Christmas Island District High School WILL get a CRICOS number, it at last has the opportunity to apply for registration, and if successful will be enabled to bring in students from south east asia.
• These will be older, senior students from families back in SE Asia since many of the population there have strong links back into Malaysia for example.
• This High School has long wanted to be given this opportunity.
• They can now apply for CRICOS registration for the provision of courses to overseas students, subject then to the West Australian Government committing to guaranteeing the placement of these students in appropriate tuition in years 11 and 12 should the high school be unable to continue these classes.
• I believe the WA Department of Education has in fact already visited  the island. But it would seem highly unlikely that the Christmas Island District High School would fail to continue the provision of these education services.
• This will mean that more students will attend the high school, increasing the numbers in year 11 and 12 and thereby making these courses even more viable and sustainable.
• I have known CI for some years and been fortunate to make several visits to what is a special place.
• It is very isolated, most of the population are of Malay or Singaporean background but the overall population is a good mix of cultures who get on wonderfully well.
• The discussion about including IOT within the ESOS Act has been long ongoing. In this time the school and community have discussed the matter in depth, so they are very much ready for this welcome change. The community are totally supportive of the school taking in international students.
• Year 11 and 12 classes have only been available for the past 3 years at CIDHS, but they have been highly successful and have enabled many students to stay home and complete their school studies instead of going away to Perth or elsewhere on the mainland.
• Some still choose to go away, but now there is that real choice.
• Like my colleague in the other place Mr Snowdon, I too congratulate all those concerned in getting year 11 and 12 up and running so successfully in such an isolated outpost.
• I am sure that the CI community and school have a very firm commitment to maintain and indeed improve the education services available on island, and this bill is therefore most welcome as the final step in enabling this community to have the chance of applying to provide for international students