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House of Assembly - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-09-28 Daily Xml
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KNIGHT REVIEW

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON (Croydon) (14:52): Can the Treasurer—

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. I.F. EVANS: Point of order, Madam Speaker: he must direct the question through you to a minister.

The SPEAKER: Yes, I am sure the member for Croydon is starting again.

The Hon. M.J. ATKINSON: Madam Speaker, can the Treasurer outline the government's response to the Knight Review into international education in Australia, recently released by the commonwealth?

Members interjecting:

The SPEAKER: Order!

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING (Playford—Treasurer, Minister for Employment, Training and Further Education, Minister for Workers Rehabilitation) (14:53): It is a bumper read. I encourage all members to read the Knight Review. It is an excellent read, and Michael Knight has written a very concise—

An honourable member: The Knight Rider.

The Hon. J.J. SNELLING: 'The Knight Rider' indeed—a very concise report with some excellent recommendations. I would like to thank the honourable member for Croydon for his question. South Australia's international education sector has continued to go from strength to strength, in no small part due to the legislative reforms that were made by this parliament recently, designed to promote the integrity and quality of our system.

As South Australia's second-largest export earner and one of its most important industries, international education generates more than $1 billion for our economy and supports 6,500 local jobs. The importance of the sector to our economy is not lost on this government. South Australia has continued to track favourably in comparison to national trends during this period despite major impacts on the international student market and a sustained Liberal opposition attack on the sector's performance.

As most of you would be aware, one of the major impacts nationally has been the constraints of Australia's student visa program. On 16 December last year, in response to representation by the states, industry and the international education sector, the commonwealth government announced the appointment of Hon. Michael Knight, AO, to conduct a strategic review of the student visa program. This was the first independent review of the program, and it examined how the program can best support Australia's international education sector while at the same time preserve the integrity of Australia's migration program.

In March 2011, Mr Knight released a discussion paper and encouraged interested parties to make written submissions to the review, which the South Australian government did. On 22 September 2011, the Minister for Immigration and Citizenship, Hon. Chris Bowen, and the Minister for Tertiary Education, Skills, Jobs and Workplace Relations, Senator Chris Evans, released Mr Knight's report, the Strategic Review of the Student Visa Program 2011.

The commonwealth government supports in principle all of Mr Knight's recommendations; however, some will be modified in places to enhance the performance of the Australian education sector and better safeguard the integrity of the visa system. The majority of the recommendations are expected to be implemented between October and mid-next year, with some other changes expected to commence in early 2013. The review makes 41 recommendations, which are intended to form part of a package of initiatives, along with proposed additional integrity measures for the international student visa program.

South Australia welcomes the federal government's response to the review. We see it as a step to improving our nation's ability to attract international students. The reforms will have an impact on the Australian university sector as a whole, but of great interest to us, of course, is the impact on the three public universities here in South Australia. We have an excellent reputation in our state for providing a welcoming and inclusive 'home away from home' to these young international students and for the quality of our education. But it is no secret that the restrictive visa requirements, combined with a high Australian dollar, have made it very tough for the sector.

We need a change to make our country more competitive, and it looks like we are now getting that change, particularly for the university sector. Students enrolling in bachelor degrees or higher will be treated in a lower risk category, consequently reducing their financial requirements before coming to Australia. Prospective students who think they would like to stay in Australia after they finish studying, to work here, helping us address our future skills shortages, will find the prospect of a post-study visa for up to four years very attractive. It is positive to see the commonwealth is willing to consider the development of a provider risk-based model, which will reward quality VET providers and private universities with the same visa requirements. This is great news for South Australia with so many high-quality VET providers.

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