A fresh chorus of educators and settlement-service providers is calling for urgent reform of Australia’s Adult Migrant English Program (AMEP) after front-line teachers told ABC News that the 75-year-old scheme is leaving many new arrivals unable to handle day-to-day conversations in English. Under the federally-funded AMEP, about 53,000 humanitarian entrants and other eligible migrants each year receive up to 510 hours of free tuition through 13 contracted providers, mostly state and territory TAFEs. But teachers at the Southern Migrant and Refugee Centre in outer-suburban Melbourne say too many students exit the course unable to answer a phone call or speak to a neighbour. Afghan widow Nosrat Haidari, who completed the full 510-hour allocation across two providers, told the ABC she "couldn’t even answer the phone" after finishing the course, recalling lessons heavy on photocopied worksheets but light on real-world practice. Peak body the Australian Council of TESOL Associations echoes those concerns, arguing the scheme’s competency-based assessments reward written drills rather than spoken fluency. A recent Australian National Audit Office review and a parliamentary inquiry likewise found that AMEP contracts focus on hourly attendance targets and paperwork compliance rather than educational outcomes. Contract casualisation has bred competition between providers, say teachers, undermining continuity of instruction and innovation. The Department of Home Affairs had promised a new business model from 1 January 2026, but late last year extended existing contracts for another 12 months after deeming a tender “not value for money”. Multicultural Affairs Minister Anne Aly’s office maintains that 90 per cent of past students report the program helps with everyday tasks, yet providers and community groups insist a major redesign is needed—one that funds long-term contracts, emphasises conversation and digital literacy, and gives teachers job security to plan courses that match students’ real-life settlement needs. For employers and relocation managers, the debate matters because AMEP is a key plank in Australia’s broader settlement infrastructure: the faster newcomers gain workplace English, the sooner they can fill skill shortages. Poor outcomes lengthen onboarding times, raise interpretation costs and may deter future talent. Corporates with diversity hiring targets should therefore watch forthcoming Home Affairs announcements on AMEP reform and consider partnering with community colleges or in-house language programs to bridge the gap while Canberra recalibrates the scheme.
Source: ABC News
