30th Nov 2015, 8:56 PM – Senate Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment (Streamlining Regulation) Bill 2015 and one other - in Committee - Schedule 5 (deregulation)

The majority voted against leaving unchanged items (9), (13), (15) and (18) in schedule 5. In parliamentary jargon, the voted against those items 'standing as printed'.

What do these items do?

These items relate to the deregulatory aspects of the bills' proposed policy change.

For example, item 9 removes the requirement that education providers keep all tuition fees that they receive before an international student begins their studies in a designated account. This requirement was introduced to reduce financial risk to the Tuition Protection Service, which assists students who are struggling to get a refund where their education provider cannot deliver their course.

Read more in the bills digest.

What do these bills do?

These bills amend the Educational Services for Overseas Students regulatory framework, which has three main objectives:

• 'to provide tuition assurance, and refunds, for overseas students for courses for which they have paid and
• to protect and enhance Australia’s reputation for quality education and training services and
• to complement Australia’s migration laws by ensuring providers collect and report information relevant to the administration of the law relating to student visas.'