2015 Submission to the EEC Committee inquiry into the Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment Bills (Registration Charges & Streamlining Regulation)

Attachment: CAPA Submission

CAPA is concerned with the quality and integrity of international education, and the experience of international students coming to study in Australia. While streamlining will promote the growth and competitiveness of international education providers, a lack of regulation or oversight can lead unintended behaviour particularly when funding is involved. It is for this reason the CAPA is concerned with some aspects of the Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment Bills (Registration Charges & Streamlining Regulation) 2015. CAPA makes this submission with the intention of ensuring that international students wellbeing is a concern and that they are protected from adverse behaviour, we offer the following two recommendations.

Recommendations: 

1. CAPA recommends that the reporting of students that default continues in cases where that student has paid some or all of their fees to a course provider
2. CAPA recommends that the fees collected for a course are still held in a separate account inaccessible to the course providers until the course commences unless that course has been successfully registered for more than 2 continuous years