As the Senate Committee review of the ESOS Amendment Bill reopens, announcing a fourth day of hearings and another two weeks for written submissions, a new term appears to have been coined.
Why has the Senate Committee reopened its inquiry? The third senate hearing into the Education Services for Overseas Students Amendment (Quality and Integrity) Bill 2024 [Provisions] concentrated largely on the formula and methodology behind the formula created by the Department of Education that was applied to Universities. As the hearing was wrapping up letters to VET colleges were sent from the Department of Employment and Workplace Relations. The letters were devasting (TKN 10/9/24).
The Koala continues to hear more stories about these letters. It would appear that the formula to calculate the limits for VET providers was developed in secret, applied, and then sent out without consideration or concern for human impact. It’s also clear it was applied without consideration of other clearly relevant factors.
Stephen Nagle from Holmes College, who has appeared before 2 of the 3 senate hearings, said, “The fact that in the higher ed space one institution, Nova Anglia, was given a cap of 0, even though they had a CRICOS allowance of 250, demonstrates that the allocation of caps was automated.”
“Furthermore, the 11 colleges allocated caps despite the fact they were either sanctioned, or in the AAT is evidence of an algorithm used to calculate the caps. How can an institution which is suspended receive a cap?”
“The department has not taken any individual circumstances into account. Why has the private higher ed sector been allocated robocaps based on their 2023 numbers and the public sector have their robocaps based on 2019 numbers? The department is taking an arbitrary point in time without regard to circumstance and allocating non-sensical caps. Holmes has a CRICOS cap of 8800 and a robocap of 980. Go figure.”
“We need to suspend the allocation of caps to the private sector and make it fair. I suggest allocating caps to the public universities, because that’s where the big numbers lie and the government is totally responsible for them. They are public utilities. Equally with TAFE colleges. The private higher education sector should be carved out of the bill and taken into consultation with the government. Why send private institutions to the wall? Negotiate a solution whereby capping is delayed until 2026 or give private higher ed caps which allow them to continue to trade through 2025 and renegotiate in December next year. The automated robocap figures are unfair! #Robocaps should be re-thought.”
That’s right folks. Australia loves a good colloquial saying and robo-cap is the latest.
robo-cap
(chiefly Australian, colloquial) Application of a mathematical algorithm to calculate international student enrolment limit numbers for CRICOS registered providers, and in some cases, non-CRICOS registered providers. Employed by Australia’s Commonwealth Department of Education and Department of Employment and Workplace Relations without regard for the human condition, economic impact, other government policy, the reason it’s being used, or basic common sense.
CEO of English Australia, Ian Aird responded to a request for comment on this, saying, “I can understand why some people would use that term. A government department has developed an algorithm and applied it regardless of the impact it will have on Australians or their businesses. And there’s no question that the impact for many will be financial ruin.”
“The government argued we need enrolment limits because of housing availability issues, but Western Sydney Uni has been given one of the smaller caps for the public unis despite its Vice Chancellor, Professor George Williams, saying in the Senate Hearings on the Bill that they have a bed available for every international and domestic student who’s requested one and that the impact of this Bill will be to scuttle a project they have to develop 500 more accommodation spots and that it may damage the amazing program they have to provide food support to struggling Australian students. And this week we’ve heard reports that colleges that have been suspended or sanctioned by the regulator have been given bigger enrolment allowances than ones with impeccable records. Clearly, no human looked at these caps that have gone out. And it’s as serious as it gets.”
“There are estimates going around of hundreds of small businesses that will close down as a result of getting enrolment limits of 23 and 12 and 4. That will mean ten or twenty thousand Australians will lose their jobs in the next 6 months and probably their professions – there won’t be many colleges left who need staff! And don’t forget, it’s not just college staff. It’s the tradies who build and service those colleges. It’s the shops that the staff and students shop at and eat at. This will go deep and wide in the pain it causes Australians over the coming year. So, yes, I understand why people are using that term.”
The Koala attended the English Australia conference last week, where these issues were raised in question time when the Department of Education spokesperson gave conferencegoers an update on the Bill. Some audience members seemed very unimpressed with the response they received. One spoke on the condition of anonymity, saying, “When she (the DoE spokesperson) heard about a 35-year-old high-quality business getting a limit of 40 students for 2025, and so planning immediate closure and layoffs while a shonky college got a cap way over 1,000, she didn’t bat an eyelid. The response? ‘thanks for the feedback.’”
Surely, we can do better.
