The department is seeking expressions of interest from all school and school council-run Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) services wanting to form a new or vary an existing foreign arrangement, such as a ‘sister school’ partnership with an international counterpart, in 2023.
To enter or update an arrangement with a foreign entity, you must first obtain Australian Government approval under Australia’s Foreign Relations Act 2020. The Act stipulates that all arrangements between state and territory governments and foreign entities must align with Australia’s foreign policy objectives.
Under the Act, all school and school council-run ECEC services must submit their proposed arrangements or variations to existing arrangements for approval to the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
To do this, please contact the department’s International Education Division in the first instance, before negotiating or entering into arrangements with foreign entities.
This ensures that arrangements between state and territory government departments and international counterparts are aligned to Australia’s foreign policy objectives.
How to submit an expression of interest
The department’s expression of interest process for new or existing foreign arrangements happens twice a year ‒ in Term 1, and in June.
If you are considering varying or entering into a new foreign arrangement before the end of the year, please contact the department by Friday 21 July 2023 with:
- a Foreign Arrangement form for schools and early childhood services
- a draft Memorandum of Understanding or updated foreign arrangement.
Please send these documents to the department’s International Education Division by email: ied.stakeholder.engagement@education.vic.gov.au
Arrangements that need approval
The Act extends to any written arrangements, agreements or contracts between school and school council-run ECEC services, and foreign entities, including overseas governments, universities, and other schools.
Common examples of foreign arrangements requiring Australian Government approval include:
- partnerships with other early childhood education and care services
- agreements
- written arrangements
- contracts
- memoranda of understanding (MoU)
- teacher exchange programs.
Arrangements may be in any form, and do not need to be signed or legally binding to fall within the scope of the Act.
Find out more
For further enquiries, contact the department by email: ied.stakeholder.engagement@education.vic.gov.au
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