Extract from Hansard [ASSEMBLY — Thursday, 9 May 2019] P3113c-3127A Mr Chris Tallentire; Ms Cassandra Rowe; Mr Matthew Hughes; Mrs Jessica Stojkovski

Extract from Hansard [ASSEMBLY — Thursday, 9 May 2019] p3113c-3127a Mr Chris Tallentire; Ms Cassandra Rowe; Mr Matthew Hughes; Mrs Jessica Stojkovski PREMIER’S STATEMENT Consideration Resumed from 14 February on the following question — That the Premier’s Statement be noted. MR C.J. TALLENTIRE (Thornlie — Parliamentary Secretary) [2.36 pm]: I am very pleased to rise after the Treasurer. I will begin by congratulating the Treasurer on a tremendous budget. It is not often that I have the opportunity to provide some instant economic analysis of our state budget, but on this occasion there are some real highlights. The fact that we have a $553 million general government operating surplus for the coming financial year is an outstanding achievement. I will be able to address many other noteworthy features in my contribution to the debate on the budget, but the fact that we are saving the state from having to pay about $508 million in interest repayments is another outstanding achievement—something that we can be very proud of. It is clear to me that the economic management reputation of the McGowan government is firmly established. In the mind of the Western Australian public, it is very clear that we are the superior and reliable economic managers—the people who can be trusted. Sometimes I worry that perhaps the electorate can forget things, but when it comes to economic management, our reputation is well and truly established. Having spent a little time on some of the pre-polling booths over the last week, I worry that when it comes to that collective memory, there is a degree of amnesia about the performance of Palmer’s United Australia Party. I hope that the concern that I have will be allayed once we know the results of the 18 May election, and that just as people have firmly in their minds who the superior economic manager in this state is, they will understand that anyone who does a deal with the Palmer party should not be contemplated or trusted for government. Those are some of the opening remarks that I wanted to begin with. This is a contribution to the debate on the Premier’s Statement; therefore, I have the opportunity to talk about things that impact on my electorate. I also have the opportunity to talk about things that are already showing themselves to be the hallmarks of a government that cares about the people and voters in our electorates, and about the nature and diversification of our state’s economy. I am very excited about the diversification of our economy and the new opportunities that are arising. I am particularly excited about the emergence of the higher education sector, especially in the post-graduate education and research area. Education is one of Australia’s top export revenue earners. I understand that nationally, education is in the number three position, after iron ore and coal. We can be very proud of that. It is a great development. I am also very proud that the McGowan government has committed to building international education. The Treasurer announced today that the McGowan government will be investing $4.5 million towards the StudyPerth international education action plan. I have no doubt that will pay great dividends in establishing Western Australia as a place of great renown and reputation in higher education. Of course, a successful industry requires good management and nurturing. We need to maintain credibility. I now want to turn to that issue. Many members would have seen the Four Corners program on Monday night, “Cash Cows”. A viewing of that program would leave all of us concerned. It is clear that questionable practices are taking place. If we are not very careful, we will put in jeopardy the reputation that we are building as a provider of quality education that delivers value for money and is delivered in a safe environment. Reputation is a very fragile thing at times. It is very important that we ensure that if there are any bad apples in our higher education and international education barrow, we get rid of them as quickly as possible. The Four Corners program presented a juxtaposition between the fairly slick marketing images of some of our universities, and the reality, which is often somewhat grim. One academic made a very important point about where things are going wrong. He said — “Admitting students who don’t have the right qualifications, or right prerequisites, or correct language capabilities is setting them up for failure. This is just not what a university should do. That’s not what education is about.” My concern is that if universities are too keen to enrol people and get big numbers, they run the risk of enrolling students who do not have the necessary prerequisites and are not suitable for the course. My heart also went out to those students who talked about what they thought would happen when they came here. We need to keep in mind that some of these students have paid a large amount of money for their course, sometimes $50 000 or $60 000. They imagined that when they enrolled in the course, not only would they get the benefit of a great education and gain some good technical skills, but also they would have the opportunity to emerge themselves in Australian culture. They imagined that they would be studying alongside Australian students, and students from elsewhere as well. However, they said they were bitterly disappointed when they got to their course and found that most, if not all, of the other students enrolled in that course were from overseas. They did not get the opportunity of engaging with Australian people at that very meaningful level of studying. They might get some [1] Extract from Hansard [ASSEMBLY — Thursday, 9 May 2019] p3113c-3127a Mr Chris Tallentire; Ms Cassandra Rowe; Mr Matthew Hughes; Mrs Jessica Stojkovski opportunities socially, but I think we would all agree that if people are newly arrived in a country, there is nothing like a workplace or place of study to give them the opportunity to make that initial contact with the natives, the citizens of the country. One student reported in the Four Corners program that there were no Australians in the class, only Indians, Nepalese and Sri Lankans. It is wrong when the marketing pitch presents the image that students will go to the beach in the mornings and attend lectures in the afternoons, alongside Australians. That is not honest. That does not meet the integrity test that we need to put on this wonderful sector that we are developing. Many of these problems have emerged since 2016 when the federal Liberal–National government changed the Australian visa system. The federal government gave universities the responsibility of assessing the suitability of visa applicants to be students, particularly around the vetting of English language standards. That means that universities have become the testifiers of the English language standards that form part of a visa application. I am concerned about the potential conflict of interest when, on the one hand, universities are eager to sign up people for courses, and, on the other hand, are entrusted with the responsibility of determining that a student is not suitable and perhaps saying goodbye to $60 000 from that student. It is all about maintaining credibility. I wonder whether we have the best system in place to do that. University admission officers are responsible for maintaining admission standards, but they operate under commercial pressure. International students are paying around $7 billion each year to Australian universities in fees. That is a massive amount of money. I am particularly concerned about the role of the Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency. That is a federal government body. I would have thought it would want to comment on the Four Corners program, but in fact it is fair to say that it has been missing in action. That is very disappointing, because that body is responsible for ensuring that universities meet the standards and maintain the integrity of the system. The Four Corners program also provided evidence—through means such as leaked emails—about English language waivers. During the program, an email was provided from the Director International, Murdoch University, dated 10 January 2018, which states — Attached is a list of English applications I looked (at) with a view to see if there are some waivers we can make. There is clearly a concern that some students are being given a waiver without the necessary tests being applied. I raised this matter some time ago with the Vice Chancellor of Murdoch University. I have also raised this matter publicly in other forums, including in September 2018 with Her Excellency Ms Harinder Sidhu, Australia’s High Commissioner to India. I have been asking questions about this for some time. Therefore, it was very interesting to see that Four Corners report. The vice chancellor of Murdoch University told me that a total of 1 680 students were admitted in semesters 1 and 2 of 2018. It would be interesting to know how many of these students were beneficiaries of an English language waiver, and how these students performed. That would be a very useful integrity check. There is a very important conversation to be had about the integrity of our higher education sector. In my electorate, I encounter many students who are enrolled not at a university but in other courses. I worry about the quality of those courses. I also worry about the motivation of students who come to this state to do those courses and the amount of money they have paid.

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