EDUCATION—EDUCATION SERVICES FOR OVERSEAS STUDENTS ASSURANCE FUND—ORDER FOR PRODUCTION OF DOCUMENTS

Senator Cormann amended general business notice of motion no. 698 by leave and, pursuant to notice of motion not objected to as a formal motion, moved—That the Senate—

 (a) notes that:

  (i) after sustained pressure in the Senate, the Rudd Government has finally released information about the financial position of the Education Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Assurance Fund as at 31 January 2010,

  (ii) the Government also announced additional funding for the ESOS Assurance Fund of $5.1 million,

  (iii) no information about the financial position of the ESOS Assurance Fund after 31 December 2008 had been made publicly available until 22 February 2010,

  (iv) in 2008 the ESOS Assurance Fund lost $1.3 million and was left with only about $1.8 million in cash and cash equivalents,

  (v) the financial position of the ESOS Assurance Fund would have been impacted by successive closures of private training colleges throughout 2009 and early 2010, and

  (iv) in 2009 other than the regular ESOS Assurance Fund levies imposed on relevant education services providers the Government had to go back to providers on an ad hoc basis to impose additional levies; and

 (b) orders that there be laid on the table, by noon on Wednesday, 24 February 2010:

  (i) any documents and information about the target to be raised through regular contributions to the ESOS Assurance Fund set by fund managers in 2009,

  (ii) total contributions made by relevant providers to the ESOS Assurance Fund in regular annual fund contributions in the 2009 calendar year,

  (iii) any documents and information about the target to be raised through any additional special contributions to the ESOS Assurance Fund set by fund managers in 2009,

  (iv) the total contributions made by relevant providers by way of additional special levies in the 2009 calendar year,

  (v) the current estimated contributions of providers to the ESOS Assurance Fund and total estimated liabilities as a result of college closures for the 2010 calendar year,

  (vi) the cost of managing the fund in 2009 and the estimated cost of managing the fund in 2010, and

  (vii) all communications between the Minister, her office and the department and the ESOS Assurance Fund from 1 September 2009 to 22 February 2010 regarding:

   (A) the financial viability of the fund,

   (B) government contributions to the fund,

   (C) annual contributions, and/or

   (D) special levies.

Question put and passed.

Statement by leave: Senator O'Brien, by leave, made a statement relating to the motion.