Education Services for Overseas Students (TPS Levies) Amendment Act 2017

Administered by Department of Education

Legislation au C2017A00098 In force Act

Legislation content

 

 

 

 

 

 

Education Services for Overseas Students (TPS Levies) Amendment Act 2017

 

No. 98, 2017

 

 

 

 

 

An Act to amend the Education Services for Overseas Students (TPS Levies) Act 2012, and for related purposes

 

 

Contents

1 Short title

2 Commencement

3 Schedules

Schedule 1—Amendments

Education Services for Overseas Students (TPS Levies) Act 2012

 

 

 

Education Services for Overseas Students (TPS Levies) Amendment Act 2017

No. 98, 2017

 

 

 

An Act to amend the Education Services for Overseas Students (TPS Levies) Act 2012, and for related purposes

[Assented to 14 September 2017]

The Parliament of Australia enacts:

1  Short title

  This Act is the Education Services for Overseas Students (TPS Levies) Amendment Act 2017.

2  Commencement

 (1) Each provision of this Act specified in column 1 of the table commences, or is taken to have commenced, in accordance with column 2 of the table. Any other statement in column 2 has effect according to its terms.

 

Commencement information

Column 1

Column 2

Column 3

Provisions

Commencement

Date/Details

1.  The whole of this Act

The day after this Act receives the Royal Assent.

15 September 2017

Note: This table relates only to the provisions of this Act as originally enacted. It will not be amended to deal with any later amendments of this Act.

 (2) Any information in column 3 of the table is not part of this Act. Information may be inserted in this column, or information in it may be edited, in any published version of this Act.

3  Schedules

  Legislation that is specified in a Schedule to this Act is amended or repealed as set out in the applicable items in the Schedule concerned, and any other item in a Schedule to this Act has effect according to its terms.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

 

Education Services for Overseas Students (TPS Levies) Act 2012

1  Subsection 4(1)

Insert:

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 in relation to that quarter.

September quarter means a period of 3 months starting on 1 July.

2  Paragraphs 5(4)(a) and (b)

Omit “specified in”, substitute “under”.

3  Subsection 5(4) (note 1)

Omit “Note 1”, substitute “Note”.

4  Subsection 5(4) (note 2)

Repeal the note.

5  Sections 6 and 7

Repeal the sections, substitute:

6  Administrative fee component

  Subject to section 8, a registered provider’s administrative fee component for a year is the sum of:

 (a) the amount (a dollar amount) determined in an instrument under section 7A for the purposes of this paragraph for that year; and

 (b) the amount (a dollar amount) determined in an instrument under section 7A for the purposes of this paragraph for that year, multiplied by the total enrolments for the provider for the previous year.

Note 1: For total enrolments, see section 4.

Note 2: The dollar amounts are indexed under section 8.

7  Base fee component

  Subject to section 8, a registered provider’s base fee component for a year is the sum of:

 (a) the amount (a dollar amount) determined in an instrument under section 7A for the purposes of this paragraph for that year; and

 (b) the amount (a dollar amount) determined in an instrument under section 7A for the purposes of this paragraph for that year, multiplied by the total enrolments for the provider for the previous year.

Note 1: For total enrolments, see section 4.

Note 2: The dollar amounts are indexed under section 8.

7A  Legislative instrument for purposes of section 6 or 7

Calendar year beginning on 1 January 2018

 (1) Before the calendar year beginning on 1 January 2018, the Minister must, by legislative instrument, do all of the following:

 (a) determine an amount for the purposes of paragraph 6(a) for that year;

 (b) determine an amount for the purposes of paragraph 6(b) for that year;

 (c) determine an amount for the purposes of paragraph 7(a) for that year;

 (d) determine an amount for the purposes of paragraph 7(b) for that year.

Later calendar years

 (2) Before the calendar year beginning on 1 January 2019 or a later calendar year, the Minister may, by legislative instrument, do one or more of the following:

 (a) determine an amount for the purposes of paragraph 6(a) for that year;

 (b) determine an amount for the purposes of paragraph 6(b) for that year;

 (c) determine an amount for the purposes of paragraph 7(a) for that year;

 (d) determine an amount for the purposes of paragraph 7(b) for that year.

Upper limit

 (3) The Minister must not determine an amount in an instrument under this section for the purposes of paragraph 6(a) or (b) or 7(a) or (b) for a year that exceeds the following:

 (a) for paragraph 6(a)—$107;

 (b) for paragraph 6(b)—$2.15;

 (c) for paragraph 7(a)—$215;

 (d) for paragraph 7(b)—$5.38.

Note: Indexation under section 8 of the dollar amount under paragraph 6(a) or (b) or 7(a) or (b) may result in that amount exceeding the upper limit in this subsection that applies to the Minister’s determinationmaking power.

Having regard to matters

 (4) In making a legislative instrument under this section, the Minister must have regard to the sustainability of the OSTF.

 (5) The Minister may also have regard to any other matter he or she considers appropriate.

6  Subsections 8(1) and (2)

Repeal the subsections, substitute:

 (1) This section applies for the purpose of working out a dollar amount under paragraph 6(a) or (b) or 7(a) or (b) for the calendar year (the current year) beginning on 1 January 2019 or a later calendar year (the current year) if in the previous year the Minister did not make an instrument under section 7A for the purposes of that paragraph for the current year.

 (2) The dollar amount under that paragraph is on 1 January of the current year replaced by the amount worked out using the formula:

Indexation factor

 (2A) The indexation factor for a 1 January is the number worked out using the formula:

where:

base September quarter means the last September quarter before the reference September quarter.

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

7  Subsection 8(3)

Omit “subsection (2)”, substitute “subsection (2A)”.

8  At the end of section 8

Add:

Publication

 (7) The Minister must cause each amount worked out under subsection (2) to be made publicly available in any manner he or she considers appropriate.

9  Part 3 (heading)

Repeal the heading.

10  Section 11 (heading)

Repeal the heading, substitute:

11  Rules for making legislative instrument under section 9 or 10

11  Before section 12

Insert:

Part 3—Other matters

 

12  Section 13

Repeal the section.

13  Application and saving provisions

(1) The amendments made by this Schedule apply in relation to working out the amount of TPS levy under subsection 5(2) or (4) of the Education Services for Overseas Students (TPS Levies) Act 2012 for the calendar year beginning on 1 January 2018 and each later calendar year.

(2) The amendments made by this Schedule do not affect the continuity of any instrument in force under section 12 of the Education Services for Overseas Students (TPS Levies) Act 2012 immediately before the commencement of this item.

 

 

 

 

[Minister’s second reading speech made in—

House of Representatives on 10 August 2017

Senate on 7 September 2017]

 

(157/17)

 

Overview

The Education Services for Overseas Students (TPS Levies) Amendment Act 2017 was enacted by the Parliament of Australia to address the need for a more sustainable and transparent system for determining the Temporary Provider Scheme (TPS) levies for overseas students. This Act serves to amend the Education Services for Overseas Students (TPS Levies) Act 2012 by introducing changes that aim to ensure the ongoing viability of the Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) and the Overseas Student Program (OSP) Trust Fund (OSTF). Among the key changes, the Act modifies the formula for indexation of certain dollar amounts, replaces specific terms, and introduces new provisions for the determination of administrative and base fee components by the Minister. These amendments are designed to maintain the financial stability of the OSTF while ensuring the fees are indexed appropriately to reflect changes in the cost of living and the number of enrolments. The policy objective of the Act is to enhance the sustainability and predictability of the OSTF by adjusting the fee structures and ensuring that the TPS levies are set in a manner that considers both the financial health of the fund and the needs of the overseas student population. The Act also mandates the publication of the determined amounts to maintain transparency in the process. The changes introduced by this Act apply to the calendar year beginning on 1 January 2018 and subsequent years, while preserving the continuity of existing instruments under the previous Act.

Scope and Application

The Education Services for Overseas Students (TPS Levies) Amendment Act 2017 amends the Education Services for Overseas Students (TPS Levies) Act 2012, providing modifications to the framework governing the levy on education services provided to overseas students in Australia. This legislation applies to registered providers of education services to overseas students, who are defined under the Education Services for Overseas Students Act 2000. These providers include institutions such as schools, vocational education and training providers, and higher education institutions. The Act operates within the Commonwealth jurisdiction, impacting the entire nation. Notably, the Act does not specify exclusions, exemptions, or thresholds; however, the application of the amended provisions is limited to the calculation of the Temporary Provider Sponsorship (TPS) levy for the calendar year beginning on 1 January 2018 and each subsequent year. The amendments include changes to the administrative and base fee components for registered providers, as well as modifications to the indexation mechanism for these components. The Act also provides for the Minister to determine specific amounts for these components through legislative instruments, subject to certain upper limits and considerations regarding the sustainability of the Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) Fund. Additionally, the Minister is required to make the determined amounts publicly available.

Key Provisions

The Education Services for Overseas Students (TPS Levies) Amendment Act 2017 (C2017A00098) amends the Education Services for Overseas Students (TPS Levies) Act 2012. The Act introduces several amendments, primarily to the way the administrative and base fee components are calculated and indexed, and to the manner in which these amounts are determined by the Minister. The Act also repeals certain sections and paragraphs, and introduces new definitions and requirements for the calculation of index numbers. Section 1 of the Act specifies that the administrative fee component for a registered provider for a year is determined by an instrument made by the Minister, and is indexed under section 8. The base fee component is similarly determined and indexed. The Act requires the Minister to make these determinations by legislative instrument, with specific upper limits for each component. The Minister must also consider the sustainability of the Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) Fund when making these determinations. The Act imposes obligations on the Minister to determine and index the administrative and base fee components, and to make these determinations publicly available. The Act also imposes obligations on registered providers to comply with the new fee structures and to ensure they are in line with the legislative instruments made by the Minister. There are no specific offences, penalties, or consequences outlined in the Act for breach of its provisions. However, the Act does provide for the repeal of certain sections and paragraphs of the Education Services for Overseas Students (TPS Levies) Act 2012, and for the amendments made by this Act to apply to the calculation of the TPS levy for the calendar year beginning on 1 January 2018 and each later calendar year. The Act also provides for the continuity of any instrument in force under section 12 of the Education Services for Overseas Students (TPS Levies) Act 2012 immediately before the commencement of this item.

Legal classification tags

Area of Law
Education Law
Instrument
Amending Act
Concepts
Commencement Provisions
Delegated & Subordinate Legislation
Indexation
Licensing & Registration

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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.