Mallard Trevor: Education (Export Education Levy) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
Mallard Trevor: Education (Export Education Levy) Amendment Bill — Second Reading 
[Volume:619;Page:14582] 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD (Minister of Education) 
: 
 I move  
That the Education (Export Education Levy) Amendment Bill be now read a second time 
. As I indicated to the House when the bill was introduced the purpose of this bill is to provide statutory protection to New Zealand’s international reputation as a desirable location where international students can study without educational or financial risk. 
This bill is a key part of the Government’s policy to encourage the sustainable growth of the export education sector by increasing confidence in the stability and security of New Zealand education providers. As a side point this has not been helped by one member of this House Pansy Wong who attempts to be widely reported in China undermining the private education sector in New Zealand. I find it very regrettable that private individuals’ businesses are being put at risk by her approach to and deliberate undermining of the industry internationally. Some people take a broad view of the economy and try to be supportive of business people who are working hard in New Zealand and other people deliberately undermine them. If I were to be generous I would say they did not care but if I were not to be generous I would say they were possibly working with ulterior motives. 
This bill is needed to protect what is now a $2 billion industry. The provisions mean that the cost of any future failure of private education providers will need to be borne by the sector not by the taxpayer as has been the case until now. I want to make it clear that this Government has looked after those students. It has worked very hard to look after students when language schools have collapsed. The National Party has opposed Labour’s attempts to look after those students and I regret that the National Party has indicated far and wide that it does not care about international students. It does not care about them. It would have them on the streets without accommodation. It would have them without their tuition. That is the approach Ms Pansy Wong has taken as has been widely reported. I know that most people around the world do not think the Kuomintang party has a major reputation in New Zealand. It is one that causes some concern. 
Dail Jones 
: That’s Taiwan. 
Hon TREVOR MALLARD 
: The National Party actually. We got there. At least there is one bright member opposite—and of course one sitting in the middle. 
The bill also at the discretion of the Minister allows for the reimbursement of any agency or Crown entity responsible for the administration of the levy for losses incurred as a result of the failure of private training establishments. 
I would like to thank the members of the Education and Science Committee who worked on this bill. I especially thank the Hon Brian Donnelly from New Zealand First who chaired the committee. I should place on record that Mr Donnelly and his party have indicated that they are opposed to international education. They are opposed to the number of foreign students coming to New Zealand. I thank them for being straightforward about that. Mr Donnelly chaired the committee in a way that was appropriate and neutral. He worked the business through and that was good as opposed to other people who indicate one way and perform the other as the National Party has done. I thank the members of the select committee. I also thank Deborah Coddington. She is pretty straightforward. She has taken the approach that when a language school fails international students should be just left on the street. That is an ACT approach and that may be what they want but it is not appropriate for this Government. This is a relatively simple little bill and I commend it to the House.