New amendment holds up ESOS amendment Bill

Senate passage of the ESOS Amendment Bill seemed assured after the Opposition gave it the tick last year, and the hurry-up last week. But now it’s back before the Lower House, with changes the government says it can’t accept.

The Bill to amend the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act hit an unexpected snag in the Senate last Thursday, with the Opposition and cross-benchers insisting on changes which the government believes will leave it exposed to unacceptable financial risk. The latest changes mean yet another delay to the bill - more than three months after the Opposition had indicated support, and the day after an Opposition senator blamed the bill's delay for the latest private college collapse. The government has cried foul, saying the main stumbling block - an amendment to buff up...