June Member Forum Roadshow
Thank you to all our members who joined us at the member forums across the country, we have had a fantastic turnout. It was great to be able to provide an update on the strategic activities that English Australia has been focused on for our members and provide some insights on the current regulatory environment, which is being highly scrutinised through numerous national inquiries and reviews.
The presentation of the Annual ELICOS Market survey results was another highlight of this month. A special thanks to all our members and then non-members that participated in this year’s survey. The results from the 2022 National ELICOS Market Report have reinforced the positive rebound of our sector. You will find a link to the Executive Summary in our newsletter and the full report will shortly be distributed to those who participated in the survey.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank Study Adelaide, Study Melbourne, Study NSW, Study Perth, and Study Queensland for their support in hosting and attending the member forums and market survey presentations. We are fortunate to have strong partnerships with each of these State agencies and to be able to work collaboratively with them across many initiatives that impact our members and their students.
Department of Home Affairs – Education Visa Consultative Committee (EVCC)
I represented our members that the latest Education Visa Consultative Committee (EVCC) earlier this month.
I continued to voice our concerns related to the 408 Covid Activity visa and lobby for the removal of student visa holder access to this visa. The Department noted that the 408 visa is under active review and that an announcement on this visa was imminent. In my view, it cannot come fast enough.
Applications lodgements in the student program continue to exceed pre-COVID levels. This is certainly the case for ELICOS visas. Despite increased lodgements, visa applications are being processed faster and visa processing times have improved in key temporary visa programs, including students. The Department noted that as it continues to uplift staff capacity and capability, implement new policy settings and streamline processes, processing times will trend down. From 1 July 2022 – 30 April 2023, the Department has received approximately 457,000 student visa lodgements, the highest ever in the history of the program compared to the same period over previous years. Over the same period, the Department has granted approximately 465,200 student visas.
DHA provided an update on the Migration Review. I raised concerns with Recommendation 30 of the review, which states “Align the English language requirements of the Student and/or Graduate visas with skilled visa English language requirements.” My comments and concerns were noted and have resulted in a number of further consultations with senior representatives of DHA that are overseeing the migration review. I am currently working with the Department to highlight the consequences of this recommendation and explore alternatives that could meet the objective of the review. I will provide further information in the near future.
Lastly, DHA noted that on 1 July 2023, work restrictions for student visa holders will be re-introduced and capped at the increased rate of 48 hours per fortnight.
Department of Education – International Education Stakeholders Forum (ISEF)
The latest ISEF meeting was focused on the reform of the regulatory environment. DoE noted that they are continuing engagement with the sector on possible reforms to the ESOS legislative framework with the webinars to date focusing on allowable online delivery including ELICOS courses, protections for minor students, management of education agents, written agreements, and minor administrative amendments.
Thank you all for your continuing support of the Department of Education’s ESOS reform process. In their latest webinar, they discussed possible changes concerning education agents, written agreements, and possible administrative amendments arising from the Tuition Protection Review. If you haven't already submitted the survey, please do so before 5:00 pm AEST tomorrow, Friday 30 June.
DoE also noted the Inquiry into Australia’s tourism and international education sectors by the Joint Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Trade. I attended a Public Hearing for the inquiry back in March and responded to a range of Questions on Notice jointly with NEAS post that meeting. English Australia has just submitted a further response to the inquiry based on a range of supplementary questions.
English Australia Conference 2023
Register now! We are excited to present our annual conference program. We received a large number of abstracts and are delighted with the quality of the sessions on offer this year. Returning face to face after three years, we’ve come back with a vengeance. Please check out the six (6) stream program and great re-conference workshops being coordinated by our SIGs. We will also be celebrating our 40th Anniversary at the conference and I hope you can join us for this special occasion.
Mental Health Symposium
We have also released our program for the Mental Health Symposium, taking place online on the afternoons of 19-20 July. Covering areas such as best practices in student engagement, suicide prevention, and trauma informed teaching, the program is relevant for all student facing staff. Please ensure you promote the symposium to your staff to attend this valuable forum.
Ed Tech Symposium
The ED Tech SIG was pleased to hold its Symposium this month, which included insightful sessions on AI in ELT, data-driven teaching and learning, and inclusive online learning design to name a few. Thank you to everyone who attended and presented.
The Pie Live Australia on the Gold Coast 24-25 July 2023
I’m excited to be presenting at the first event PIE Live Australia event next month. Our friends at The Pie have generously offered English Australia members a 10% discount on tickets to The PIE Live Australia event, which will take place on the Gold Coast from Monday 24 - Tuesday 25 July. To access your discount, please use the code PLA23EngAus.
Membership renewal
English Australia is currently undertaking our annual membership renewal. I would like to thank all of our members for your support over the past year. The Board and secretariat are committed to ensuring that we continue to offer the highest possible level of value from your membership. We welcome all feedback via the survey that is being distributed as part of the membership renewal, or please feel free to send your comments directly to me.
As always, I am available should you have any questions or if you wish to discuss anything specific to your college.