Announcement date
21 January 2026
Link to announcement
Protecting international students by banning agent commission payments for transfers | Ministers' Media Centre
Problem being addressed
An Impact Analysis exploring three options to strengthen the integrity and quality of the international education sector was published in May 2024: Improving Integrity in the International Education Sector | The Office of Impact Analysis
Since then, parliamentary inquiries have further considered integrity and quality issues in the international education sector, including the problem of education agents persuading overseas students to abandon courses of study and unnecessarily transfer to other providers:
- Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment (Quality and Integrity) Bill 2024 [Provisions] – Parliament of Australia
- Education Legislation Amendment (Integrity and Other Measures) Bill 2025 – Parliament of Australia
Proposal
The addendum considers three options to reduce unnecessary onshore transfers and ensure that overseas students receive high quality advice from education agents and providers:
- Option 1: Status Quo
- Option 2: Survey and student engagement activities
- Option 3 (preferred): Amend the National Code of Practice for Providers of Education and Training to Overseas Students 2018 to prohibit providers from paying commission to education agents for onshore student transfers.
The addendum estimates that Option 3 would have a net benefit of $30.4 million over 10 years to students, providers, and education agents, as well as other benefits including student ‘peace of mind’ when engaging with education agents.
Regulatory burden
The Department of Education estimates that option 3 will increase annual regulatory costs for businesses and individuals by $9.18 million.
OIA comments
The OIA does not formally assess addenda, but offers the following comments on the quality of the document. The addendum addresses the seven IA questions and follows an appropriate policy development process. The addendum would have been improved by a more detailed plan to manage implementation risks and a more detailed evaluation plan.