Australia Pushes Controversial Education Overhaul Through Senate
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The Australian government has finally managed to push its hotly contested education reform bill through the Senate, albeit with a series of last-minute changes. This legislative move, which occurred on the year’s final sitting day, is a significant victory for those seeking to clean up the country’s international education sector, but it has not been without serious political drama and sector-wide concern.
Officially known as the Education Legislation Amendment (Integrity and Other Measures) Bill 2025, the law aims to address “unscrupulous” behaviour by certain providers who treat international students as cash cows rather than genuine learners. The core of the reform focuses on tightening oversight, particularly around education agents—broadening the legal definition of who qualifies as an agent and imposing new rules on commission payments. Critically, it gives the Education Minister new powers to halt or suspend the registration of new providers or courses for up to a year, a measure some critics have branded as an ‘overreach’ of government authority.
While the sector broadly supports the need to weed out ‘dodgy operators’ and protect Australia’s global reputation, the manner of the Bill’s passage—reportedly passed under a ‘guillotine’ motion with minimal debate—has been deemed deeply unedifying by some stakeholders. Amendments, which included exemptions for higher education and TAFE providers from a new two-year domestic delivery requirement, were accepted, offering some relief, but the fear of ministerial intervention remains a point of contention.
The passing of this Bill closes a contentious chapter in Australian education policy. The government’s intent to strengthen the integrity and sustainability of a sector vital to the national economy is clear. However, with the new legislation now heading for its final, largely ceremonial steps to become law, the real challenge begins—translating these ambitious, and in some cases punitive, rules into effective and fair practice on the ground. The next two years will be a crucial test of whether the new powers can clean up the system without unfairly stifling legitimate providers, with the sector anxiously awaiting the operational nuance that will define its future.
Source: THE PIE NEWS
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