Barkly International College owner Rupinder Brar with ties to Anthony Albanese cops a lashing

An international college owned by a businessman who dined with Anthony Albanese has been accused by federal regulators of being more interested in ‘making money’ than the welfare of overseas students.

Rupinder Brar, left, and with Anthony Albanese at a private Toorak function.

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An international college owned by a businessman who dined with Anthony Albanese at a private Toorak dinner has been accused by federal regulators of being more interested in “making money” than the welfare of overseas students.

Barkly International College – owned by Indian-Australian millionaire Rupinder Brar, who sat next to the Prime Minister at the suspected ALP fundraising event – fronted a hearing on Thursday as it fought to overturn its deregistration over “significant non­compliance”.

Lawyer Sarah Wright, for the Australian Skills Quality Authority, told the Administrative Review Tribunal claims by the international college that it faced financial ruin unless it was granted a stay of its deregistration were “vague and uncertain”.

“Any problems it has (are) of its own making,” Ms Wright told the hearing, saying the college has had nine months since ASQA’s deregistration ruling to prove it was compliant.

“It still can’t say it is compliant,” Ms Wright said, adding there was ongoing “risk to students and Australia’s reputation”, the “interests of students are not being prioritised”, and the college was more focused on “continuing its business and making money”.

“(Barkly) has failed to provide clear and compelling evidence about its financial situation,” she said.

Mr Brar and about a dozen of his associates dined with Mr Albanese in a Toorak mansion on ­November 12, with one guest describing the VIP event as “four hours of exquisite cuisine and hospitality”.

Former Victorian premier Daniel Andrews also attended the dinner, which multiple Labor and Indian community sources believe was an ALP fundraiser aimed at generating donations for this year’s federal election.

Mr Albanese, Mr Andrews and Mr Brar have all dodged questions about whether it was a Labor fundraiser and how much it cost.

Mr Brar is the director and secretary of Barkly International College and another Brar company, Brar Family Investments, is the sole shareholder in Barkly, according to ASIC records.

Mr Brar has also made a fortune out of property investments, in one case pocketing a $22m profit when a company associated with him bought a Craigieburn block for $11m and sold it a year later for $33m.

Four months after paying $11m, the Victorian government announced Amazon was locating at a nearby industrial estate. Mr Brar has told The Australian the business had “no knowledge” Amazon was moving nearby when it bought the $11m block.

ASQA moved to deregister Barkly International College in May 2024 after investigators uncovered “significant noncompliance” in training, assessment, enrolment, marketing and governance systems.

Barkly chief executive Evelin Cruz appeared before the ART on Thursday as the college warned that it was in danger of folding and it now had just 180 foreign students enrolled despite having the capacity to teach about 1200.

In documents presented to the hearing, Barkly warned it could be forced to shut as the ASQA action “could undermine the institution’s future viability”.

“If the college is unable to enrol students, it may fail to meet certain financial requirements and other obligations, leaving it exposed to additional legal and financial risks,” college documents stated.

Barkly said in the documents that its reputation was suffering because of the deregistration.

“Students, especially international students who are not familiar with Australia, are very keen to feel safe, protected and secure,” Barkly said.

“They don’t like uncertainty and insecurity. If student numbers decrease, they are likely to exercise their option to transfer studies to another institution. There is no reason for them to take the risk of staying with an institution which might seem to them to not have a good future.”

In the documents, Barkly warned the “uncertainty surrounding the college’s future will place significant pressure on both the leadership and management team” and “the management team will need to make difficult decisions regarding cost-cutting measures, potential staff lay-offs” and this “added responsibility and pressure could lead to burnout and loss of morale”.

The ART heard Barkly had only two permanent employees and the rest of the staff were contractors.

“The reputation of BIC as a reliable and quality (registered training organisation) may suffer long-term consequences due to the current situation,” the college said in documents.

“Students who experience disruptions during their studies may be less likely to recommend the college to others, damaging the RTO’s ability to attract future students. In the competitive higher education market, student referrals and word-of-mouth recommendations are critical, and any perception of instability or unprofessionalism may tarnish the college’s brand.”

The ART reserved its decision and adjourned the matter to May.