Portfolio — 18 May 2026

Assistant Minister Julian Hill announced a 12-month suspension of new CRICOS registrations and courses to the Australian Skills Quality Authority, the most significant action taken on international education sector integrity to date [TA-260518-educat-07a67a85d190]. The suspension targets private providers seeking to enter the international vocational education and training (VET) and English Language Intensive Courses for Overseas Students (ELICOS) markets, with Hill stating the measure will address "integrity concerns about new market entrants and oversaturation in the international VET and ELICOS sectors" [TA-260518-educat-07a67a85d190].

The decision draws directly from two prior reviews: the Nixon Review and the 2023 Migration Review, both of which identified material integrity failures concentrated in the private VET sector [TA-260518-educat-07a67a85d190].

The suspension's scope is deliberately bounded. Public providers — government schools, TAFE institutions, and Table A universities — are exempt. Providers already holding CRICOS registration retain the ability to add locations or introduce new courses that supersede existing ones on the National VET Register.

The carve-outs signal that the Government's integrity concern is squarely directed at new private entrants rather than the established public provider base.

The legislative vehicle enabling the suspension is the Education Legislation Amendment (Integrity and Other Measures), part of a broader package of integrity reforms the Government has introduced for the sector. ASQA will use the 12-month window to clear the existing application backlog under heightened scrutiny standards before the market re-opens to new entrants.

Hill's public framing consistently paired the restriction with a positive commitment to genuine students, stating that "Australia's continued success as a destination of choice for international students requires a ruthless focus on quality, integrity and student experience." The ministerial message positions the temporary restriction not as a contraction of international education but as a prerequisite for its sustainable growth — protecting Australia's reputation as a premium destination while eliminating providers whose conduct undermines that standing.