University of Sydney: Human Trafficking Criminal wwww.ielts.agency 31
Table 5 summarizes the direct connections that members of the IELTS consortium share with
governments in Australian and British jurisdictions.
Table 5
IELTS’s Government Connections
IELTS memberIDP Education CommentOwned by 38 public Australian universities. These universities are regulated
by the governments of six Australian states and two territories. The Australian
National University and the University of Canberra are regulated by Federal
Acts of the Parliament of Australia. The bulk of each universities’ funding is
secured from state/territory and Federal Government grants.
British Council A British public corporation that is governed by Royal Charter.
University of
Cambridge
A public British post-secondary education institution that was established by
Royal Charter.The political economy of IELTS intertwines the political economy of Britain, Australia and other
nations (e.g. Blackie, 2017). For example, in 2017 British Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt sold
Hotcourses to IDP Education (Australia) for 30 million pounds sterling (British Broadcasting
Corporation, 2017).
Prior to 5 November 2011, IELTS was the main English language test approved by the Australian
Government to manage its work visa program for foreign nationals (Australian Government,
2013). The Canadian English Language Proficiency Index Program (CELPIP) supports Canada’s
English language testing regime (for skilled migration) via around 50 branches in Canada. CELPIP
also maintain a branch office in New York City and the United Arab Emirates (CELPIP, 2017).