On the strength of rising vaccination rates, the easing of some lockdown restrictions and the announcement of the NSW International Student Arrivals Pilot Plan, September has provided some much-needed optimism.
However, I recognise we still have a road ahead of us until we will see the volume of students return to sustainable levels. Until this occurs, we still need urgent support. Securing this support is English Australia’s number one priority. We are continuing to work with federal and state/territory governments to attain this assistance and will update you as soon as we have more information.
Industry engagement
It’s been another busy month representing member interests in meetings with government departments, our regulators and State/ Territory agencies.
The Department of Education, Skills and Employment (DESE) International Stakeholders meeting was held early in the month and focused on International student returns, noting the work underway in several jurisdictions and that the draft Australian Strategy for International Education 2021-2030 is currently with Minister Tudge. We discussed ESOS regulations, including the National Foundation Program Standards and should see an update in early October. Other topics included work on qualification recognition and the University Foreign Interference Taskforce update.
Unfortunately, the DHA EVCC meeting was postponed. However, I have had ongoing meetings with DHA, specifically raising member concerns related to country trends (rates of refusal) and SSVF classifications moving from evidence level 1 to 2 due to provider size. DHA is following up on these matters at present.
ASQA held their Provider Roundtable Extraordinary Meeting on 10 September. The Chair provided updates on the release of their Corporate Plan 2021-22. The plan outlines priority areas and performance measurements for the road ahead. ASQA briefly updated the results of their 2021 provider and course owner survey and outlined their engagement and education programs, which are underway. We will continue to advise members of activities that you can access.
ASQA noted that they are still working with DESE and the Department of Finance towards implementing full cost recovery from 1 January 2022. I again reiterated our views that all fees and charges should continue to be waived for at least a further 6 months. English Australia has been advocating for ongoing fee waivers across multiple forums.
I was invited to attend a webinar hosted by TEQSA Chief Commissioner Professor, Peter Coaldrake AO, and the Fair Work Ombudsman, Sandra Parker, discussing the importance of workplace practices complying with the sector’s industrial obligations. The focus was on salary underpayment and ongoing work being undertaken within the university sector to rectify issues that remain unresolved.
I participated in the Study NSW International Education Advisory Board meeting and the South Australian Ministerial Advisory Committee for International Education as well as meetings with Global Victoria in the past month. Needless to say, the return of international students was high on the agenda of each of these meetings.
Thank you for an amazing Conference
This month saw us host our 33rd English Australia Conference and our second in a virtual format. We had an amazing number of registrations for this year’s event, seeing around 800 delegates in one of our biggest ever Conferences. I’m incredibly proud that we could offer this year’s Conference at no cost to members while still retaining the quality that the English Australia Conference is renowned for providing.
It was an honour to have the Federal Minister for Education and Youth, the Hon. Alan Tudge, open the Conference and recognise the importance of the ELICOS sector and our members’ resilience in facing the coronavirus pandemic. It was also refreshing to hear some optimism and have the importance of international education and the ELICOS sector recognised as vital for Australia.
This optimism echoed throughout the Conference underscored the incredible innovations that our sector has developed in the past 18 months. From language lessons using virtual reality to virtual homestays, we saw the amazing ways in which our sector has adapted to its biggest ever crisis.
I hope everyone enjoyed the range of sessions that were on offer, and I’d like to thank each of our speakers for contributing their time to support us, particularly those international speakers presenting with the added challenge of alternative time zones.
I would also like to thank all our Conference sponsors, particularly our gold sponsors: IELTS and Bonard. Without their support, the Conference would not have been the spectacular event that it was. I’m sure some of you may have called on Bonard’s support in getting acquainted with the Conference’s platform, and that support was always ready and able.
On that note, I would also like to thank our technology partner, Marcom ACE. I’m sure many of you will agree that the ease in using Marcom’s platform was impressive and added to the quality of the Conference. Please remember that the Conference sessions are available until Friday, 15th October, so you can watch or rewatch any sessions as many times as you like. You can log in to the Marcom platform here.
Finally, a huge congratulations to our industry award winners. The achievements of all the deserving winners reflect the professionalism and commitment that make our sector a world-class destination for students who want to learn English with quality institutions. Details of each of our award winners are here.
Board update and a reminder for State/Territory nominations
This month, we saw the appointment of four of our Board members following our General Delegate election:
- Donna Cook
- Joanna Kelly
- David Scott
- Kerry Sutcliffe
I would like to congratulate all four Delegates and thank everyone who nominated and participated in this year’s election. Your support of these important aspects of membership ensures our Board has strong representation from across the sector. A strength of English Australia is having a confident and committed Board, and we are well served in this regard. Our reappointed Board members reflect the diversity and capability that exists within our sector and will continue to positively serve member interests.
Nominations for the vacant State/Territory Board roles close today. The vacant roles are for the following branches:
- ACT/Tas/NT
- Queensland
- South Australia
Representatives from any member colleges in these state/territories can nominate using this form.
2021 Annual General Meeting – mark your calendar
Notice of our 2021 Annual General Meeting (AGM) has been given, with the meeting occurring on Thursday 14 October 2021 at 1:00 pm (AEDT).
I would encourage you to register for this event. Our AGM is your chance to hear directly from the English Australia Board and the Secretariat on our performance in the past financial year.
If you would like to attend on behalf of your college and hold your college’s voting rights, please complete the Representative form. Non-voting Representatives can also attend provided they complete the Non-voting Representatives form.
ELICOS Quarterly Market Insight survey Q3 data collection
Thank you to all the members who have participated in the previous survey periods.
We will soon begin collecting data from the third quarter of 2021. Our colleagues from Bonard will be in contact in the coming weeks.
The data from this program has proven invaluable in our advocacy work and I would again encourage you to participate so that our sector is armed with as much evidence as possible to highlight the incredible difficulties that we are facing.
Any questions? Please ask
I would like to again say that I am always available should you wish to raise any issues with me. Please do not hesitate to contact me and I will be happy to provide whatever assistance I can.
