Speaking at the TEQSA quality-assurance conference on 19 November, Assistant Minister for International Education Julian Hill declared that integrity problems in the sector remain “rife”, citing passport fraud, on-shore course switching and unethical recruitment practices.
Hill’s remarks reinforce the government’s tougher stance following the migration-strategy white paper and the new Genuine Student test. He warned that providers ignoring red flags could face suspension from the streamlined visa-framework—effectively slowing down their pipeline of international enrolments.
![‘Dodgy behaviour still rife’ warns education minister at TEQSA conference]()
The comments come amid sector scepticism over the recent mass-upgrade of institutional risk ratings, which critics say is being “misrepresented” by unscrupulous agents overseas to market easy pathways to work rights.
Universities Australia welcomed Hill’s message but asked for clearer guidance on how risk metrics will be applied. Education agents, meanwhile, fear over-correction could deter legitimate students at a time when competitor destinations such as Canada and the UK are tightening post-study work-rights policies.
For companies, heightened compliance translates into greater certainty that international graduates entering the workforce have met English-language and financial thresholds—but it may also shrink the talent pool in the short term.
Hill’s remarks reinforce the government’s tougher stance following the migration-strategy white paper and the new Genuine Student test. He warned that providers ignoring red flags could face suspension from the streamlined visa-framework—effectively slowing down their pipeline of international enrolments.
The comments come amid sector scepticism over the recent mass-upgrade of institutional risk ratings, which critics say is being “misrepresented” by unscrupulous agents overseas to market easy pathways to work rights.
Universities Australia welcomed Hill’s message but asked for clearer guidance on how risk metrics will be applied. Education agents, meanwhile, fear over-correction could deter legitimate students at a time when competitor destinations such as Canada and the UK are tightening post-study work-rights policies.
For companies, heightened compliance translates into greater certainty that international graduates entering the workforce have met English-language and financial thresholds—but it may also shrink the talent pool in the short term.
