English Australia is the latest body to make public its submissions to the draft International Education and Skills Strategic Framework. In a 23-page submission, the peak body outlined feedback to the government and called for an economic impact study of the proposed changes.
English Australia called the government's proposed changes under the ESOS Amendment Bill “fundamentally out of sync with the realities of the sector” and “could have serious negative impacts on the Australian economy, including widespread job losses”. He warned.
The organization strongly opposes imposing restrictions on international registrations, saying such measures would place organizations across the sector at “financial and legal risk”.
English Australia said it continues to strongly support free market economics and market-led approaches to achieve sustainable growth in international education.
Instead, it suggested that the government focus on adequately funding regulators to strengthen quality and compliance.
To ensure thorough consultation and appropriate planning, English Australia is asking the government to delay implementation of any changes until at least January 1, 2026 “to allow appropriate amendments to the legislation and framework to be made”.
Ian Aird, CEO of English Australia, said of the decision to make the submissions public: “English Australia felt there should be meaningful and thoughtful conversation about these dramatic changes.”
“Despite the unprecedented scale and nature of the changes, the Australian federal government is recklessly rushing to make changes without studying the economic impacts or genuine consultation with the sector,” he said. pie news.
The Australian federal government is in a hurry. [changes] Without studies of the economic impact and genuine consultation with the sector.
Ian Aird, English Australian
“Much of the strategy and legislation was developed without meaningful consultation in government text. That is not acceptable. Changes like this should not be forced without meaningful dialogue.
“We don’t want the government to ignore feedback and make decisions that will cause long-term damage to the sector and the economy as a whole. “I hope they listen and change their attitude urgently.”
Previously, higher education institutions and associations, including Group of Eight and ITECA, have expressed similar concerns about the consultation process in their own submissions.
English Australia's submission was widely received in the field.
Lucas Chiusoli, vice-president of Australian operations for ILSC Education Group, praised the submission, describing it as “data-driven and well-thought-out”.
“We believe that the submission strikes the right balance between supporting needed improvements in the international education sector while also setting out what needs to be revisited in the draft framework,” Chiusoli said.
Chiusoli echoed many of the concerns highlighted in the submission, highlighting that the proposed changes could have a negative impact on students' perception of Australia as a top study destination.
“The long-term impact of such negative impacts cannot be underestimated,” he warned.
“As proud providers of high quality courses in both ELICOS and VET, ILSC & Greystone College endorse and support the Government’s focus on service quality and provider delivery.
“We therefore advocate for regulators to enforce quality and compliance across the sector.”
But Chiusoli urges that this must be done “in a measured, evidence-based way, not a one-size-fits-all approach.”
“Otherwise, ironically, it would be in the best interest of questionable suppliers, as high-quality providers could be negatively impacted by excessive disruption that suspicious players are likely to ignore or bypass,” Chiusoli said.
Justin Blake, CEO of BROWNS English, told The PIE that providers were already facing significant challenges due to the recent exponential increase in student visa refusals and significant delays in visa processing.
“These issues alone have had a notable negative impact on the sector,” Blake said.
Meanwhile, Lexis English managing director Ian Pratt said if ministers were “even remotely acting in good faith” they should consider the impact of their actions, according to English Australia's submissions.
He told PIE: “It is a gross abuse of government power to completely derail our sector for reasons that increasingly appear to be related to the upcoming election.”
“Now we have an ugly bidding war between the government and the main opposition party over who can be harshest on immigrants, with the focus mainly on international students.”
“There are real concerns that decades of effort to build Australia’s international education industry, Australia’s fourth largest export sector, is rapidly being dismantled,” Blake said.