Mathias Cormann (WA, Liberal Party, Shadow Minister for Employment Participation, Apprenticeships and Training) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

I seek leave to amend general business notice of motion No. 698 standing in my name in the terms circulated in the chamber.

Leave granted.

I move the motion as amended:

That the Senate—

(a)

notes that:

(i)

after sustained pressure in the Senate, the Rudd Government has finally released information about the financial position of the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Assurance Fund as at 31 January 2010,

(ii)

the Government also announced additional funding for the ESOS Assurance Fund of $5.1 million,

(iii)

no information about the financial position of the ESOS Assurance Fund after 31 December 2008 had been made publicly available until 22 February 2010,

(iv)

in 2008 the ESOS Assurance Fund lost $1.3 million and was left with only about $1.8 million in cash and cash equivalents,

(v)

the financial position of the ESOS Assurance Fund would have been impacted by successive closures of private training colleges throughout 2009 and early 2010, and

(iv)

in 2009 other than the regular ESOS Assurance Fund levies imposed on relevant education services providers the Government had to go back to providers on an ad hoc basis to impose additional levies; and

(b)

orders that there be laid on the table, by 12pm on Wednesday, 24 February 2010:

(i)

any documents and information about the target to be raised through regular contributions to the ESOS Assurance Fund set by fund managers in 2009,

(ii)

total contributions made by relevant providers to the ESOS Assurance Fund in regular annual fund contributions in the 2009 calendar year,

(iii)

any documents and information about the target to be raised through any additional special contributions to the ESOS Assurance Fund set by fund managers in 2009,

(iv)

the total contributions made by relevant providers by way of additional special levies in the 2009 calendar year,

(v)

the current estimated contributions of providers to the ESOS Assurance Fund and total estimated liabilities as a result of college closures for the 2010 calendar year,

(vi)

the cost of managing the fund in 2009 and the estimated cost of managing the fund in 2010, and

(vii)

all communications between the Minister, her office and the department and the ESOS Assurance Fund from 1 September 2009 to 22 February 2010 regarding:

(a)

the financial viability of the fund,

(b)

government contributions to the fund,

(c)

annual contributions, and/or

(d)

special levies.

Kerry O'Brien (Tasmania, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Link to this | Hansard source

by leave—The government opposes this motion relating to an order for the production of financial information relating to the Education Services for Overseas Students Assurance Fund. It proposes a very short time scale in which to comply with a notice to produce documents. I am not sure if it is feasible to comply. Nevertheless, we will not call a division on this matter recognising that, with the support of the Greens, Senator Cormann has a majority in the chamber.

Question agreed to.