Summary

Introduced with the Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration Charges) Amendment (Streamlining Regulation) Bill 2015 to reform the international education sector, the bill amends the: Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000, Education Services for Overseas Students (TPS Levies) Act 2012, National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 and Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 to: create Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) agencies, including the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency and the Australia Skills Quality Authority, with direct responsibility for providers’ registration and monitoring providers’ compliance; extend the compliance monitoring and enforcement action that may be taken by an ESOS agency for a breach of either the English Language Courses for Overseas Students Standards or the Foundation Program Standards; Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 to: provide for an internal review process for decisions made by delegates of ESOS agencies; provide the minister with the power to issue a direction to an ESOS agency about the performance of its functions; enable the Tuition Protection Service (TPS) Director to obtain certain information or documents, be assisted by TPS officers, and recommend that an ESOS agency take action against a provider; enable providers to receive more than 50 per cent of the tuition fees for a course in certain circumstances; remove the definition of a ‘study period’; remove the requirement for non-exempt providers to maintain an account to which all tuition fees paid prior to a course commencing are held; and remove the requirement to report all instances of student default; and National Vocational Education and Training Regulator Act 2011 and Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act 2011 to make consequential amendments.