Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration of Providers and Financial Regulation) Amendment Act (No. 1) 1997

Legislation au C2004A05120 Not in force Act

Legislation content

 

 

 

 

Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration of Providers and Financial Regulation) Amendment Act (No. 1) 1997

 

No. 19, 1997

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration of Providers and Financial Regulation) Amendment Act (No. 1) 1997

 

No. 19, 1997

 

 

 

 

An Act to amend the Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration of Providers and Financial Regulation) Act 1991, and for related purposes

 

Contents

1 Short title..................................2

2 Commencement..............................2

3 Schedule(s).................................2

Schedule 1—Amendment of the Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration of Providers and Financial Regulation) Act 1991 3

 

Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration of Providers and Financial Regulation) Amendment Act (No. 1) 1997

No. 19, 1997

 

 

 

An Act to amend the Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration of Providers and Financial Regulation) Act 1991, and for related purposes

[Assented to 27 March 1997]

The Parliament of Australia enacts:

1  Short title

  This Act may be cited as the Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration of Providers and Financial Regulation) Amendment Act (No. 1) 1997.

2  Commencement

  This Act commences on the 28th day after the day on which it receives the Royal Assent.

3  Schedule(s)

  Each Act that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect according to its terms.

 


Schedule 1—Amendment of the Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration of Providers and Financial Regulation) Act 1991

1  After section 2

Insert:

2A  Crown to be bound

  This Act binds the Crown in each of its capacities.

2  Section 3

Insert:

annual registration charge means annual registration charge imposed under the Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration Charges) Act 1997.

3  Section 3

Insert:

initial registration charge means initial registration charge imposed under the Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration Charges) Act 1997.

4  After subsection 5(3)

Insert:

 (3A) Subsection (2) does not apply in relation to a provider if:

 (a) the provider is liable to pay any annual registration charge, re-instatement fee or late payment penalty; and

 (b) one or more of those amounts remains unpaid after the time when it became due for payment;

unless the Minister is satisfied that in all the circumstances it is appropriate to register that provider.

5  After section 5

Insert:

5A  Annual registration charge

  A provider who is liable to pay an annual registration charge for a year must pay the charge by the last day of February of the year.

5B  Initial registration charge

 (1) A provider who is liable to pay an initial registration charge for a registration must pay the charge by the day specified in a notice given to the provider by the Secretary.

 (2) The day specified in the notice must be more than 28 days after the day the notice is given.

5C  Information and records

 (1) A provider must give or produce to the Secretary any information or document relating to enrolments in the provider’s courses that the Secretary requests in writing.

 (2) A provider must not give information under subsection (1) that the provider knows, or reasonably suspects, is false or misleading.

 (3) If a provider produces a document under subsection (1) that the provider knows, or reasonably suspects, contains false or misleading information, the provider must give to the Secretary a statement, in writing, identifying the aspects of the information that are false or misleading.

 (4) A provider must keep proper records of enrolments in the provider’s courses.

6  After section 11

Insert:

11A  Re-instatement fee

 (1) A provider is liable to pay a re-instatement fee if:

 (a) the suspension of the registration of the provider is removed under subsection 10(4); or

 (b) the registration of the provider is restored under subsection 11(2).

 (2) The fee must be paid by the day specified in a notice given to the provider by the Secretary.

 (3) The day specified in the notice must be more than 28 days after the day the notice is given.

 (4) The amount of the re-instatement fee is:

 (a) $100 for 1997; and

 (b) for a later year (the current year), the amount worked out by multiplying the re-instatement fee for the year before the current year by the indexation factor that applies to the current year.

 (5) The indexation factor that applies to the current year is worked out using the following formula:

where:

index number, for a quarter, means the All Groups Consumer Price Index number that is the weighted average of the 8 capital cities and is published by the Australian Statistician for that quarter.

recent September quarter means the September quarter in the year before the current year.

previous September quarter means the September quarter before the recent September quarter.

 (6) The indexation factor worked out under subsection (5) must be rounded up or down to 3 places (rounding up in the case of exactly halfway between).

 (7) The amount worked out under subsection (5) must be rounded to the nearest whole dollar (rounding up in the case of 50 cents).

 (8) If at any time (whether before or after the commencement of this section) the Australian Statistician has changed or changes the reference base for the Consumer Price Index, then, for the purposes of applying this section after the change, only index numbers published in terms of the new reference base are to be used.

7  At the end of section 13

Add:

 (4) If any initial registration charge payable by a provider for a registration remains unpaid after the time when it became due for payment, then the registration of the provider is cancelled by force of this subsection.

8  After section 17

Insert:

17A  Late payment penalty

  If any annual registration charge or re-instatement fee payable by a provider remains unpaid after the time when it became due for payment, then the provider must pay a late payment penalty calculated from that time at the rate of 20% per year on the amount unpaid.

17B  Debts due to the Commonwealth

  The following are recoverable as debts due to the Commonwealth:

 (a) any annual registration charge;

 (b) any re-instatement fee or late payment penalty payable under this Act.

17C  Amounts payable by unincorporated bodies

  If a provider that is an unincorporated body is liable to pay an amount under this Act or the Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration Charges) Act 1997, then the following persons are taken to be jointly and severally liable to pay the amount:

 (a) the principal executive officer of the provider at the time the liability arose; and

 (b) if there was a governing body of the provider at that timeeach of the persons who were members of that governing body at that time.

9  Transitional arrangements for 1997

If this Act does not commence before 1 January 1997, then section 5A of the Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration of Providers and Financial Regulation) Act 1991 (as inserted by this Schedule) applies for 1997 as if the reference in that section to “by the last day of February of the year” were a reference to “by the end of 2 months after this section commenced”.

 

 

[Minister’s second reading speech made in—

House of Representatives on 9 October 1996

Senate on 9 December 1996]

 

(128/96)

 

 

I HEREBY CERTIFY that the above is a fair print of the Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration of Providers and Financial Regulation) Amendment Bill (No. 1) 1997 which originated in the House of Representatives as the Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration of Providers and Financial Regulation) Amendment Bill (No. 2) 1996 and has been finally passed by the Senate and the House of Representatives.

 

 

 

Clerk of the House of Representatives

 

IN THE NAME OF HER MAJESTY, I assent to this Act.

 

 

 

Governor-General

1997

 

(128/96)


 

Overview

The Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration of Providers and Financial Regulation) Amendment Act (No. 1) 1997 was enacted by the Parliament of Australia to amend the Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration of Providers and Financial Regulation) Act 1991. The purpose of this amendment was to address issues related to the financial regulation of educational providers who offer services to overseas students. This Act introduced provisions to ensure that educational providers remain compliant with financial obligations, such as registration charges and fees, by imposing penalties for late payments and providing mechanisms for the recovery of unpaid amounts. The policy objective was to maintain the integrity and stability of the education services sector for overseas students by enforcing financial accountability among providers. The Act also established a framework for the indexation of re-instatement fees to reflect changes in the cost of living and introduced requirements for providers to furnish accurate information and maintain proper records of enrolments. By binding the Crown in each of its capacities, the Act ensured that all educational providers, including those operated by the government, are subject to the same regulatory standards. The amendments were designed to enhance the regulatory environment for overseas student education, ensuring that providers are held to high standards of financial responsibility and compliance.

Scope and Application

The Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration of Providers and Financial Regulation) Amendment Act (No. 1) 1997 applies to education providers who offer services to overseas students in Australia. This Act amends the Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration of Providers and Financial Regulation) Act 1991 to introduce changes that impact the registration and financial regulation of these providers. The Act binds the Crown in each of its capacities, ensuring that the legal obligations extend to the government as well. Key changes include the introduction of annual and initial registration charges, which providers must pay by specified dates, and the imposition of late payment penalties for non-compliance. Additionally, providers are required to furnish requested information and documents to the Secretary and maintain proper records regarding student enrolments. The Act also introduces reinstatement fees and outlines the indexation mechanism for these fees. The amendments are applicable nationally, as the Act is a Commonwealth Act. There are no stated exclusions or exemptions, and the Act's application is broad, covering all education providers subject to the original Act. Subordinate instruments may further extend or restrict the application of this Act.

Key Provisions

The Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration of Providers and Financial Regulation) Amendment Act (No. 1) 1997 amends the Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration of Providers and Financial Regulation) Act 1991 to introduce new provisions concerning the registration of education providers and the financial obligations associated with such registration. Section 3 of Schedule 1 defines key terms such as 'annual registration charge' and 'initial registration charge', which are now explicitly linked to the Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration Charges) Act 1997. Section 5A mandates that education providers must pay annual registration charges by the last day of February each year, while section 5B requires that initial registration charges be paid by a specified date, which must be at least 28 days after notice is given by the Secretary. Additionally, section 5C imposes on providers the duty to furnish requested information and documents related to student enrolments and to maintain accurate records. Failure to comply with these information and document production requirements, or providing knowingly false or misleading information, can result in serious consequences for the provider. The Act imposes several obligations on education providers, primarily focusing on timely financial compliance and accurate record-keeping. Under section 5A, providers must ensure annual registration charges are paid by the stipulated deadline. Failure to do so can lead to the suspension of their registration unless the Minister determines otherwise. Similarly, section 5B outlines that initial registration charges must be settled within the timeframe specified in a notice from the Secretary, with the requirement that this notice be issued at least 28 days in advance. Furthermore, section 5C requires providers to supply accurate and truthful information upon request and to maintain comprehensive records of student enrolments. The Act also establishes the requirement for providers to pay a re-instatement fee if their registration is suspended and subsequently re-instated, as detailed in section 11A. These obligations are critical to maintaining the integrity and regulatory compliance of education providers. Failure to meet the financial obligations and compliance requirements outlined in the Act can result in significant consequences. Section 13(4) stipulates that if any initial registration charge remains unpaid after the due date, the provider's registration will be automatically cancelled. Additionally, section 17A imposes a late payment penalty of 20% per year on any unpaid annual registration charges or re-instatement fees. These penalties are intended to enforce timely compliance and financial responsibility. Furthermore, section 17B specifies that unpaid charges, fees, and penalties are recoverable as debts due to the Commonwealth. For unincorporated bodies, section 17C holds the principal executive officer and members of the governing body jointly and severally liable for any amounts owed under the Act or the Education Services for Overseas Students (Registration Charges) Act 1997. These provisions collectively ensure that providers adhere to their financial and regulatory obligations.

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Education Law
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Sourced from the Federal Register of Legislation at 26 August 2026. For the latest information on Australian Government law please go to https://www.legislation.gov.au.