International education providers ‘gaming the system’ undermine Australia’s reputation, inquiry hears

Labor MP Julian Hill says behaviour of some providers is harming students and could ‘destroy the social licence’ of the sector

The vocational education and training (VET) sector’s reputation will be destroyed if urgent action isn’t taken to clean up malpractice among international education providers, a parliamentary inquiry has heard.

In the past weeks, the committee has heard of providers working with unregulated international education agents to steal students from prestigious public institutions for massive commissions, sell work visas and open “ghost schools” where students don’t attend classes and get handed degrees.