Ali MOND
Good afternoon, everyone, and welcome to today's information session on changes to the Adult Migrant English Program, the AMEP, announced in the 26-27 Budget. Thank you for making the time to be here today. For those of you I haven't met, my name is Ali Mond. I'm the Assistant Secretary of the Migrant English and Language Services Branch in the Department of Home Affairs.
I'd like to start by acknowledging the traditional owners of all the lands on which we're meeting today from across Australia and provide my acknowledgement and respect in Ngunnawal language, the traditional language from where this meeting is being hosted in Canberra.
Dhawura nguna, dhawura Ngunnawal
Yanggu ngalamanyin dhunimanyin
Ngunnawalwari dhawurawari
Dindi wanggiralidjinyin
This is Ngunnawal Country. Today we are meeting together from Ngunnawal Country. We acknowledge and pay our respects to the elders. And I also acknowledge any Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples who may be joining us here today.
Before we start, I would like to advise that this session is being recorded and a copy of the recording will be uploaded to the department's website following the session. Given we are recording the session, please note the camera feature has been turned off for today. Also, please note that at this stage, the microphone feature is disabled and this will be turned on towards the end of the session for questions.
The purpose of today's session is to provide you with further details on changes to the AMEP that were announced recently in the budget. This includes providing an overview of the AMEP business model that is due to commence from the 1st of January 2029 and advice on the government's proposed eligibility changes.
There will be time for questions at the end, however, please note that for probity and legal reasons, I may not be able to provide additional details at this stage. We will also be publishing a question and answer document on the department's website for any questions taken on notice today, and this will continue to be updated as new information is able to be released. And the details of the website link is on this slide.
As I mentioned at the beginning, in order to maintain probity and comply with the department's legal obligations set out in the Commonwealth Procurement Rules, we are recording this session and a copy of the recording will be uploaded to the department's website so it is publicly available to other stakeholders and to all potential market participants.
Some of the changes to the program I will discuss today are subject to the government's legislative process and details on the changes and timeframes cannot be provided at this time. If you have any questions you would like to ask of the department outside of this session about the AMEP business model, please direct them to AMEPPolicy@homeaffairs.gov.au.
And if you have any questions related to the future AMEP procurements, these should be directed to the contact officer at AMEP.Procurement@homeaffairs.gov.au.
The department's Annual Procurement Plan published on AusTender has been updated with an estimate date of approach to market for the three AMEP procurements of Quarter 3 26-27, which is January to March 2027. These procurements are for the AMEP General Services, AMEP Quality Assurance and the AMEP Academy. You can subscribe to AusTender to receive notifications and any updated information on the AMEP Procurement, and information on how to do this is available on the AusTender website.
The 26-27 Budget announced that changes will be made to the AMEP to support migrants to learn English, find work and connect with their communities while ensuring the program remains financially sustainable. The changes have drawn on extensive reviews and past public consultations, as well as a review of the recently terminated AMEP Procurement process.
The Australian Government has committed to deliver a new business model from the 1st of January 2029. The changes will maintain flexible tuition and strong student supports to improve English language employment and settlement outcomes for migrants. The key features of the future model are available on the department's website. The website link to this was included in the invitation for today's session, and I'll be talking through the details of the model today.
The government has also proposed changes to AMEP eligibility to better focus the program on migrants with the greatest need for structured English tuition. At the same time, access to informal English learning will be expanded through the provision of additional funding to the Settlement Engagement and Transition Support Program and Community Hubs.
The government will deliver a new AMEP business model to commence from the 1st of January 2029. The new model has been designed based on extensive reviews and previous public consultations which have highlighted the importance of flexible tuition options, place-based learning and student supports to maximise English language settlement and employment outcomes. There was no capacity for further sector consultation in recent months, given the need for cost reductions to be urgently progressed in the 26-27 Budget context and future legislative time frames.
For those of you who were familiar with the previously approved model, you will see that the settings have largely been retained. I will go into further detail on each of the settings on the next few slides. However, at a high level, key features of the future model include:
Flexible student tuition through greater access to online learning and a focus on place-based learning.
Replacing AMEP funded child care with support for clients to access mainstream early childhood education and care.
Dedicated access to individual pathway guidance in the form of settlement, vocational and educational advice and support.
Enhanced use of volunteer tutors.
AMEP Work Connect to provide clients with employment-focused tuition and work experience opportunities.
An AMEP national curriculum, the EAL Framework, to provide national consistency for AMEP delivery.
Establishing the AMEP Academy, which will deliver annual professional development training for teachers and continue the development of high quality teaching and learning resources.
Introduction of a new performance management framework to ensure AMEP services are of high quality and client outcomes are optimised.
And a new IT management system to support better program management, data collection and program reporting.
So this slide sets out the AMEP tuition elements. There will be a one-off payment for AMEP clients for registration, initial English assessment, entry interview and enrolment. A key feature of the new model is flexible student tuition, including: classroom, virtual delivery, distance learning, part-time, evening and weekend options. Classroom tuition can be face-to-face or via virtual participation and can occur within formal community and workplace settings. Distance learning tuition will cater for clients who are located more than 50 kilometres from an AMEP site or cannot attend face-to-face tuition for other reasons. This allows clients to learn at home with curriculum materials specifically designed for out-of-classroom self-paced learning, supported by regular contact with a qualified teacher.
As I mentioned earlier, current child care arrangements will be replaced with assistance to connect clients to the mainstream early childhood education and care system. AMEP providers will assist clients to navigate the child care system, access child care subsidies and support them to secure appropriate child care placements. This assistance acknowledges sector feedback that many migrants, particularly those with low English proficiency, find the early childhood education and care system complex to navigate.
Supporting AMEP clients to access mainstream child care aligns with the Australian Government's universal early childhood agenda to provide equitable access to affordable, high quality early learning opportunities for children. It will provide AMEP clients with the same pathways and choices as other Australian families.
Early engagement in mainstream early childhood education and care will support stable, longer-term child care arrangements, providing a smoother transition for AMEP clients when they continue on to further study or employment.
The new child care arrangement will also contribute to a financially sustainable AMEP. Currently, the AMEP is bespoke in providing free child care for clients who are caring for children under school age. Funding child care in this way is expensive, with the cost per client more expensive than the average cost of AMEP English tuition. The vast majority of AMEP clients are eligible for the Child Care Subsidy and some may also be eligible for additional help through the Additional Child Care Subsidy, which provides targeted fee assistance to help families facing difficult circumstances with the cost of early childhood education and care. Additional funding is also being redirected to settlement grants programs to support the small number of clients who are not eligible for Child Care Subsidy or for those who prefer learning in more informal settings with child minding options.
Other student supports include:
Dedicated access to and funding for Individual Pathway Guidance, which will provide settlement, employment and educational advice and support, and which we know is crucial to enabling strong client outcomes.
The new AMEP business model also retains enhanced use of volunteers who play a key role in supporting AMEP clients beyond the classroom and enhancing settlement and social cohesion outcomes. Students will benefit from unlimited volunteer tutor support and an improved approach to tutor training and professional development.
AMEP Work Connect will replace the current Settlement Language Pathways for Employment and Training Program, SLPET, to continue providing clients with employment-focused tuition and work experience opportunities, which have proven to be valuable aspects of the program impacting student learning and employment outcomes.
The new model will retain introduction of the AMEP Academy to deliver annual professional development training for teachers, develop teaching and learning resources, and undertake research to drive continuous improvement in AMEP delivery. With a national structure, the AMEP Academy can ensure innovations are tested, evaluated and then implemented at scale, maximizing improvements in client learning outcomes across the program.
The introduction of an AMEP national curriculum, the EAL Framework, will provide national consistency for AMEP delivery and the opportunity to develop teaching and learning resources that can be shared across providers. As you know, the department has already invested in the development of resources to support the introduction of the new curriculum, including the English Ready Series. AMEPOnline will also continue to provide a suite of high quality interactive e-learning content aligned to the national curriculum. The recently released AMEPOnline App makes learning English more accessible by reducing barriers for students offering a mobile friendly solution.
A new Performance Management Framework will be introduced, underpinned by AMEP Quality Guidelines and Standards, to ensure AMEP services are of high quality and client outcomes are maximised. The Performance Management Framework will include regular reporting and contract management meetings, data analysis and reporting from the Information Management System, regular review of risks and mitigation strategies, a comprehensive AMEP Quality Assurance Program, and measurement of performance against key performance indicators.
The department is continuing work to develop a new IT management system to support better program management, data collection and program reporting, while streamlining processes to reduce data duplication, inefficiencies and administrative burden.
The government is also proposing targeted changes to AMEP eligibility to better focus the program on migrants with the greatest need for structured English tuition and to support the program's long-term financial sustainability. Eligibility for the AMEP is set out in the Immigration Education Act 1971. Eligibility changes therefore require legislative change, with current eligibility settings to remain in place until that process is complete. Given these changes are subject to the government's legislative process, further details on the changes and time frames cannot be provided at this time. The eligibility changes are expected to commence ahead of the new AMEP business model being implemented. At the same time, access to informal English learning will be expanded through the provision of additional funding to the Settlement Engagement and Transition Support Program and Community Hubs. These programs already provide conversational English language learning in community settings, through a typically less structured approach to help new arrivals build confidence and language skills.
The department is considering options for the delivery of AMEP services until the 31st of December 2028 to align with the implementation of the new business model from the 1st of January 2029. Any options, including the potential option to extend the completion date of the existing AMEP agreement, and then order services under that agreement, are dependent on departmental approval requirements.
Before opening for questions, I want to remind you that given probity issues and legal requirements, I'm limited in what information I can provide at this time. In particular, I'm not able to provide any further information in relation to the proposed eligibility changes through the legislative process or about the future AMEP Procurement settings. However, the department will provide further information on both of these processes as they progress, and I refer you to the AusTender website for information and any updates on the AMEP Procurements.
But having said that, I'll now open the floor up to questions. And as I said at the beginning, cameras are off because the session is being recorded, but everyone should now have the mute function disabled. So if you would like to ask a question, please just raise your hand and unmute.
Mandy.
Mandy Nour
I was trying to let someone else put their hand up first. Hi, Mandy Nour here from TAFE New South Wales. Just a question around the Individual Pathway Guidance and if it differs at all to the current Individual Pathway Guidance. I noticed references to the My AMEP Plan are no longer there, but also whether there's any changes to the qualifications required for those who provide the pathway guidance.
Ali MOND
What I can say at this stage is it is in line with what was previously approved in 2024 and what you may have seen through that procurement process. It will be separately funded and clients will have access to up to six hours of pathway guidance, with the option to seek additional hours at the approval of the department. I probably can't go into any more details at this stage around qualifications and the settings which will come out as part of the Procurement process.
Mandy Nour
Thank you.
Ali MOND
Thanks, Mandy, and thanks for going first.
Gillian.
Gillian Edmiston
Hi, Ali, Gillian Edmiston from ACTA. Just wondering whether there will be...the increase... whether the amount of money that deliverers will be getting will be increased to take into account of the greater than CPI changes since the previous contract from 2017. So taking into account things like the cost of increased technology for providers, the cost... the increases in educator wages since that provision. Everything has increased and by more than CPI. So will that be factored into the new contract?
Ali MOND
So the new contract will be subject... the new business model will be subject to a new procurement process, which is due to go out in Quarter 3 of 26-27, which is January to March 27. So those will be tendered rates, that tenderers will need to put forward as part of their application to the procurement.
Gillian Edmiston
and in the interim, what will be happening?
Ali MOND
So in the interim, it is also subject to a procurement process, which the department is currently seeking approvals to. So I don't think I can say any more at this stage, but we will be engaging with current providers on that.
Gillian Edmiston
Thank you.
Ali MOND
Thanks, Gillian.
Jetinder.
Jetinder Macfarlane
Thanks, Ali, and thank you for the information. I just had a question around the timeframe for the implementation of the new business model. Given that the business model has been released, I'm just wondering if you were able to speak to why the new business model will be implemented 1st of January 2029? Would that be in relation to the potential eligibility changes?
Ali MOND
It really reflects, Jetinder, that it's the procurement time frames for a procurement of this size. So I appreciate that 1st of January 29 does sound like a long way in the future, but unfortunately for a procurement of this size, and the steps that need to go through, that is the time. It just reflects the complex nature and size of the contracts.
Jetinder Macfarlane
OK, thank you.
Ali MOND
Thanks, Jetinder.
Paul.
Paul Colwell
Good afternoon, Ali. Paul from Melbourne Polytechnic. I have a clarification on the IT system announcements and whether there is a reasonable assumption, therefore, that no system updates will be rolled out before 29 in relation to MELS or the replacement ARMS systems.
Ali MOND
No, we are expecting to have MELS implemented prior to the new contract starting in January 29. I don't have an exact date, but we are working very hard to have that done beforehand, which we hope will also assist with the transition to the new contract, so that won't be happening concurrently.
Paul Colwell
Thank you.
Ali MOND
And that work is very well advanced, Paul, so thank you for asking.
Paul Colwell
That's, yeah, that's what I was hoping for. Thank you.
Ali MOND
Thank you for those questions. Gillian.
Gillian Edmiston
Sorry to come in with another question, Ali.
Ali MOND
No, of course not.
Gillian Edmiston
It's quite clear on the new model that... Now I've lost my place... that it's going to change, or there's some change about who most needs tuition. And I was wondering if you could give us any more information on who that cohort are likely to be. Thanks.
Ali MOND
Unfortunately, Gillian, I'm unable to at this stage because the eligibility for the AMEP’s set out in legislation, it requires legislative changes. So we're still working through the government's legislative process. As that process is worked through and changes are tabled, we'll be able to talk in more detail about that at that stage. So I apologise, I'm not able to give you any more information at this stage.
Gillian Edmiston
That's okay, thanks.
Ali MOND
Thanks, Gillian.
Thank you for those questions. Did anyone else have any questions?
Alison.
Alison Cheetham
Hi, Alison Cheetham, yeah, from ACTA, representing ACTA today. My question is with regard to the EAL Framework, given that the current version that we're sitting with will come up for reaccreditation in 2029, just shortly after we commence the next tender of... next contract for the AMEP, whether it's already considered in your mind that that new version of the EAL would continue to be the curriculum that we would go forward with.
Ali MOND
Yes, that is absolutely our intention, Alison. And we do work... we're engaging quite closely with the Victorian Government as the owners of that curriculum. So we'll continue engaging with them as they, you know, get moved towards that process and also make sure that our materials, for example, on the AMEPOnline website and the English Ready are maintain... are updated and, you know, the new AMEP Academy, which will come into effect with new contracts, will also play an important part in making sure those resources are updated as they need to be.
Alison Cheetham
Great, thank you.
Ali MOND
Thank you.
Mandy.
Mandy Nour
I'm just wondering if you're... I'm not sure if you're able to answer... but around what the distance learning model might look like, whether you're still looking at each provider delivering distance learning themselves or whether you're looking at having a national model, as is currently the case. I note that references to mixed mode have been removed from the new business model and I'm just wondering if that also indicates a shift in that space.
Ali MOND
Yeah, thanks, Mandy. So mixed mode has been removed from this model, which was really a learning from the recent procurement process that it introduced a whole lot of unintended complexities. At this stage, we're still working through the procurement settings for distance learning. So, apologies, I can't go into any more detail at that in this stage, but it's something we're considering and that we have consulted on quite a lot in the past and also have learnings from the recent procurement process. But yeah, the detail will be in those procurement papers. Thanks, Mandy. Sorry I couldn't provide more information on that one now.
Mandy Nour
No, thank you.
Ali MOND
Rana.
Rana Ebrahimi
Hi, Ali. Thank you so much for the information. Just a question about the modelling and the designs. Are you at the stage of finalised models and designs, or are you planning to do more of the designs and modelling for the programs and delivery?
Ali MOND
So at this stage, the model for the future contracts is pretty set. We're still working through sort of final procurement settings, which will be released as part of that procurement when it goes out to market. But yeah, government has agreed on those settings that I've outlined today.
Rana Ebrahimi
Thank you.
Ali MOND
Thanks, Rana.
Stanley.
Stanley Po
And mute... Hi, you mentioned the enhanced use of VTS in this new model. Can you elaborate a bit more how, say, how is the new model enhanced in relation to the VTS?
Ali MOND
Sure. So the key difference is that currently the use of volunteers is limited to one hour a week or two hours a week for humanitarian entrants. Under the future model, there'll be unlimited use of volunteers, so there’ll be no cap on the hours that volunteers can be used and instead providers will be paid to... for the training and matching the volunteers with clients, but not on that hour basis, which was sort of a little bit arbitrary because they're volunteers. So, it's sort of enhanced in terms of more directly reflecting what the model is in terms of the effort that it takes to train volunteers and recruit them and match them with clients.
But then clients will benefit from having unlimited access to those volunteers.
Stanley Po
Okay, thanks.
Ali MOND
Thanks, Stanley.
Any other final questions?
Karina, if I could just get you to share the last page of the slide deck again. I just wanted to highlight that if people did think of questions after this session, please, as I mentioned earlier, send it into those emails. So, questions on the new business model send through to AMEPPolicy@homeaffairs.gov.au and any questions on the future AMEP Procurements through to AMEP.Procurement@homeaffairs.gov.au. And as I said previously, please go to AusTender to register and you will get notified of any updates to those procurements. As more information becomes available through the legislative process, we will also update that and provide that information as we are able to.
Thank you so much, everyone, for coming today and for your continued engagement on the AMEP. I'll just pause one more time in case anyone has a final question before we sign off. No.
Thank you again, everyone, for your time and for joining today, and we look forward to continue working with you, and please do reach out if you have questions.
Thank you. Thank you.
Stanley Po
Thank you. Thank you, Ali. Thank you.
Karren RAPER
Thank you, Ali. Thank you.
Gillian Edmiston
Thanks, Ali. Thanks, Team.
