The Hon Julia Gillard MP
Minister for Education. Minister for Employment and Workplace Relations
Minister for Social Inclusion
Deputy Prime Minister
8 August, 2009
Media release
Bruce Baird to head up international students review
The Minister for Education, Julia Gillard, today announced that former Federal Member for Cook, The Hon Bruce Baird, will head up a review into international education in Australia.
Mr Baird will review the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act and report back to the Government with changes designed to ensure Australia continues to offer world class quality international education in this challenging and changing environment.
The Review will consider the need for enhancements to the ESOS legal framework in four key areas:
- Supporting the interests of students
- Delivering quality as the cornerstone of Australian education
- Effective regulation
- Sustainability of the international education sector
An issues paper will be released on the DEEWR website in the coming weeks, outlining the key issues for the international education sector and inviting written submissions from September 2009.
Mr Baird will hold targeted forums with groups including state and territory government officials, regulatory bodies, education providers, student bodies and diplomatic missions. He will also draw from the results of the International Student Round Table to be held in Canberra in early September.
An interim report from the Review will be presented for consideration by the COAG in November 2009, with a final report expected in early 2010.
Mr Baird was the member for Cook in NSW in the House of Representatives from October 1998 to November 2007. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Sydney and an MBA from the University of Melbourne.
Mr Baird is a former Assistant Trade Commissioner at the Australian Embassy in Bonn, Germany and Trade Commissioner at Australian Consulate-General in New York.
He was a member of the New South Wales Legislative Assembly where he was Minister for Transport from 1988-95, Minister for Sydney's Olympic Bid 1990-93 and Minister for Tourism and Roads 1993-95. He was previously a board member of Tourism Training Australia.
Further information about the review including the terms of reference are available on the Australian Education International website.