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COAG strategy to strengthen international students sector

The Council of Australian Governments (COAG) has agreed to introduce a range of measures to improve the safety and wellbeing of international students.

The measures will be implemented as part of COAG’s International Students Strategy for Australia (ISSA) and will include:

• a central portal to provide students with up-to-date information on personal safety, student support services, housing, workplace rights and other useful information
• a national strategy to improve connections between students and the communities they live in
• an international student committee to give students a forum to put forward their views on their experiences in Australia
• an independent statutory complaints body which will be mandatory for international providers
• taskforces in each state and territory to ensure students are provided with proper support in the event of a provider closure.

The strategy would complement the findings of the Baird Review into the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000 to ensure Australia remains a world-leader in the international education sector.

The agreement will benefit over 491,000 students from 190 countries worldwide who are currently living and studying in Australia. It will also go a long way to protect our fourth largest export which brought in over $17 billion in 2009.

The International Students Strategy for Australia will be finalised by COAG in the coming weeks.