International Students

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD (16:05): I seek leave to make a brief explanation before asking the Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills a question about international students studying in South Australia.

Leave granted.

The Hon. D.G.E. HOOD: The New South Wales ICAC has recently reported on managing corruption and risk for international university students and has turned its attention to the role of universities in enabling highly questionable practices. The report suggests that competition for international students has led some universities to aggressively market for international students without considering the costs and risks; to set inappropriately low English language requirements; to rely on largely unregulated agents with inducements to submit applications from insufficiently qualified students; to set recruitment KPIs; and to leave the burden of maintaining standards with teaching academics whilst simultaneously pressuring them to pass work of insufficient quality and turn a blind eye to misconduct in some cases.

There has also been a report from an academic by the name of Tracey Bretag entitled 'Australian unis should take responsibility for corrupt practices in international education'. It was published just a few weeks ago. Further, on Tuesday 21 April this year the minister published a press release stating that South Australia's higher education ties with Vietnam will be strengthened. The South Australian government will be offering four scholarships valued at $5,000 for the first year of study in a South Australian university. Study Adelaide was also promoted during the minister's most recent visit to Vietnam. I make no criticism of that but merely provide that as further information. My questions to the minister are:

1. Is this scholarship a one-off or a recurring incentive for international students to study in Adelaide?

2. How much funding has the government provided to international students via Study Adelaide to attract overseas students to Adelaide?

3. What commitment will the government give to ensure that appropriate candidates, such as those with sufficient English language skills, for example, are eligible for government-funded programs?

4. Will the government agree that ineffectively managing the issues raised in the ICAC report can and would diminish the value of domestic education on a national and international basis, and therefore the benefit to South Australian taxpayers?

The Hon. G.E. GAGO (Minister for Employment, Higher Education and Skills, Minister for Science and Information Economy, Minister for the Status of Women, Minister for Business Services and Consumers) (16:07): I thank the honourable member for his most important question. Indeed, I saw those reports and they were very concerning. Fortunately, here in Australia, but particularly in South Australia, most recruitment agents and educational institutions do the right thing and uphold high levels of integrity and high standards of education and quality experiences for both domestic and international students.

Unfortunately, there are always one or two who choose not to do the right thing, and this was highlighted on national TV in particular, and picked up by radio, and it was very damaging for Australia's international student market. Our international student market is incredibly important to our national economy and also particularly to our state economy. It generates just under $800 million a year in revenue, creates thousands of jobs and is a really important export for this state.

In relation to the complaints of diminishing standards in an effort to pump through higher levels of international students and concerns about failing those students, I can reassure honourable members that all Australian universities must meet national standards set by the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency (TEQSA). I can also advise that no South Australian higher education provider has been investigated by TEQSA for breach of standards, and no provider has had its registration revoked by TEQSA. We should be very proud of that track record here.

In addition to TEQSA standards and audits, universities need to have in place strict selection processes for both domestic and international students. I am advised that our three public universities have rigorous entry requirements for all students, who are set the same assessment, irrespective of whether they are domestic or international and who are fully supported during their studies. Fundamentally, I am sure that our universities would want to ensure that they are upholding standards so that they do not jeopardise their international reputation.

Our international reputation is very important to being able to stimulate our position in the international marketplace. I know that our three universities here are very cognisant of the fact that, once your reputation is damaged, it is incredibly difficult to repair. They are most risk averse in compromising any of those standards or selection and recruitment points. In relation to the scholarship, it is a once-off, but we will see how successful it is and review that.

We provide annual funding to Education Adelaide. I do not have that figure. It is between $1 million and $2 million that we provide annually to Education Adelaide for them to focus on destination marketing of all our education here, so it is not just our universities but also TAFE, VET and secondary education. I think TAFE also contribute each year to the funding of Education Adelaide for those purposes, and they monitor very carefully the activity of Education Adelaide because they are in fact part funders of that operation. The work Education Adelaide does is just fantastic. They are a very clever and professional team. They operate on a reasonably modest budget and produce some fabulous outcomes for this state, economically, socially and culturally.