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This is a Bill, not an Act. For current law, see the Acts databases.


EDUCATION AMENDMENT BILL 2008





                            New South Wales




Education Amendment Bill 2008


Contents

                                                                Page
              1    Name of Act                                     2
              2    Commencement                                    2
              3    Amendment of Education Act 1990 No 8            2
              4    Repeal of Act                                   2
     Schedule 1    Amendments                                      3




b2007-098-16.d18
                          New South Wales




Education Amendment Bill 2008
No     , 2008


A Bill for

An Act to amend the Education Act 1990 with respect to overseas students and
admission to government schools; and for other purposes.
Clause 1          Education Amendment Bill 2008




The Legislature of New South Wales enacts:                                                1

 1    Name of Act                                                                         2

               This Act is the Education Amendment Act 2008.                              3

 2    Commencement                                                                        4

         (1)   This Act commences on the date of assent to this Act, except as            5
               provided by subsection (2).                                                6

         (2)   Schedule 1 [3] commences on the date of assent to this Act or on the       7
               commencement of section 26C of the Education Act 1990 (as inserted         8
               by Schedule 1 [5] to the Education Legislation Amendment Act 2006),        9
               whichever is the later.                                                   10

 3    Amendment of Education Act 1990 No 8                                               11

               The Education Act 1990 is amended as set out in Schedule 1.               12

 4    Repeal of Act                                                                      13

         (1)   This Act is repealed on the day following the day on which all of the     14
               provisions of this Act have commenced.                                    15

         (2)   The repeal of this Act does not, because of the operation of section 30   16
               of the Interpretation Act 1987, affect any amendment made by this Act.    17




Page 2
Education Amendment Bill 2008

Amendments                                                             Schedule 1




Schedule 1             Amendments                                                         1

                                                                           (Section 3)    2

[1]   Section 3 Definitions                                                               3

      Insert in alphabetical order in section 3 (1):                                      4
                    overseas student means a student who holds a visa under        the    5
                    Migration Act 1958 of the Commonwealth that enables            the    6
                    student to study in New South Wales, but does not include      the    7
                    holder of a permanent visa or special category visa within     the    8
                    meaning of that Act.                                                  9

[2]   Section 25 Certificate of exemption from attending school                          10

      Insert after section 25 (2):                                                       11

           (2A)    A certificate of exemption under this section may be limited to       12
                   exemption from the requirement to attend a school during the          13
                   times specified or referred to in the certificate.                    14

[3]   Section 26C Relevant agencies from which information may be obtained               15
      about students (as inserted by the Education Legislation Amendment                 16
      Act 2006)                                                                          17

      Insert after section 26C (1) (h):                                                  18
                   (h1) the Department of Corrective Services,                           19

[4]   Section 28 Closure of government schools                                           20

      Omit "a senior member of the Department" from section 28 (5) (e).                  21

      Insert instead "a senior member of staff of the Department of Education and        22
      Training".                                                                         23

[5]   Section 31 Instruction to be free                                                  24

      Insert at the end of the section:                                                  25

             (2)   This section does not apply in relation to overseas students.         26




                                                                             Page 3
                Education Amendment Bill 2008

Schedule 1      Amendments




[6]   Section 31A                                                                           1
      Insert after section 31:                                                              2

      31A    Overseas students                                                              3

             (1)   The Director-General may, by order published in the Gazette, fix         4
                   the fees to be paid by overseas students, or classes of overseas         5
                   students, at government schools.                                         6

             (2)   The Director-General is to cause an order under this section to be       7
                   placed on the Department's website.                                      8

             (3)   The Director-General may exempt an overseas student, or class            9
                   of overseas students, from the requirement to pay a fee in              10
                   accordance with this section, or refund all or any part of such a       11
                   fee, in such circumstances as the Director-General considers            12
                   appropriate.                                                            13

             (4)   An overseas student is not entitled to receive instruction, or to       14
                   participate in school activities, at a government school, unless        15
                   any fee payable by the student under this section has been paid.        16

             (5)   The Director-General may terminate the enrolment of an                  17
                   overseas student at a government school if a fee that is required       18
                   to be paid under this section in relation to the overseas student has   19
                   not been paid.                                                          20

             (6)   Any fee that is due but not paid under this section may be              21
                   recovered by the Director-General as a debt in a court of               22
                   competent jurisdiction.                                                 23

[7]   Section 34 Admission to government schools                                           24

      Insert after section 34 (5):                                                         25

             (6)   The following matters may (without limitation) be taken into            26
                   consideration in determining whether a particular government            27
                   school can accommodate a child:                                         28
                   (a) the child's age and sex,                                            29
                   (b) the kind of school established under section 29,                    30
                   (c) the financial and other resources provided to the school,           31
                   (d) the existing number of classrooms and other facilities at           32
                         the school.                                                       33

             (7)   Nothing in this Part prevents the principal of a government             34
                   school from accepting an application for the enrolment of an            35
                   adult at that school for the purposes of receiving instruction.         36




Page 4
Education Amendment Bill 2008

Amendments                                                                  Schedule 1




 [8]   Section 34A                                                                            1
       Insert after section 34:                                                               2

       34A    Principals can require proof of eligibility to attend or entitlement to         3
              be enrolled at government schools                                               4

              (1)    The principal of a government school may, for the purpose of             5
                     establishing a child's eligibility to attend or entitlement to be        6
                     enrolled at the school, require a person seeking to enrol the child      7
                     at the school to provide proof, to the satisfaction of the principal,    8
                     of the child's identity, date of birth and home address.                 9

              (2)    The requirement may include a requirement to produce any                10
                     document or to provide a statutory declaration, or both.                11

              (3)    The child is not entitled to be enrolled at the school unless and       12
                     until the requirement is complied with (unless the requirement          13
                     cannot reasonably be complied with in the circumstances).               14

              (4)    The Director-General may terminate the enrolment of a child at a        15
                     government school who is not entitled to be enrolled at the school      16
                     if the child was enrolled as a result of false information or a false   17
                     document provided to the principal.                                     18

 [9]   Section 115 Constitution of associations and district councils                        19

       Omit section 115 (2). Insert instead:                                                 20

              (2)    The Minister may establish a district council for a specified area      21
                     by order published in the Gazette.                                      22

              (3)    Any such district council is to be constituted in accordance with       23
                     the regulations.                                                        24

[10]   Schedule 3 Savings, transitional and other provisions                                 25

       Insert at the end of clause 2 (1):                                                    26
              Education Amendment Act 2008                                                   27

[11]   Schedule 3, Part 8                                                                    28

       Insert after Part 7:                                                                  29


       Part 8        Provisions consequent on enactment of                                   30
                     Education Amendment Act 2008                                            31

        15    Payments by overseas students                                                  32

                     The imposition by the Director-General of any fee or other              33
                     charge that has been paid for or in relation to instruction provided    34




                                                                                 Page 5
                 Education Amendment Bill 2008

Schedule 1       Amendments




                    in a government school to an overseas student before the            1
                    commencement of section 31A (as inserted by the Education           2
                    Amendment Act 2008) is taken to have been lawfully imposed for      3
                    all purposes.                                                       4

         16   District councils                                                         5

                    A district council for an area established and in existence         6
                    immediately before the amendment of section 115 of this Act by      7
                    the Education Amendment Act 2008 is taken to be a district          8
                    council for that area established in accordance with section 115    9
                    as amended by that Act.                                            10




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