Cadmus, a software platform with sophisticated learner analytics that detects the authenticity of a student’s work has been awarded $600,000 by the Breakthrough Victoria, the State Government's investment fund. Reports show a 76% decrease in academic misconduct, a 91% positive student experience and an 8.5% increase in academic performance and pass rates.

African ghost-writer claims to have written hundreds of papers for New Zealand students while allegedly working for Eastern China-based academic essay writing service Assignment Joy. The anonymous whistle-blower alleges that some New Zealand students graduated without ever writing a single assignment. Urgent talks are ongoing between New Zealand universities and the Government to follow Australia’s move, outlaw cheating websites and block them from local access.

WA universities have been caught up in claims their students are paying an academic ghost-writing service to complete their assignments. A whistle-blower claimed to have completed assignments for students at universities across Australia, New Zealand, and the UK. Australia’s Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Association recently cracked down on commercial academic cheat sites using Australia’s new anti-cheating laws. Students who pay to cheat are subject to their institution’s discipline policies.

Online academic cheating services that offer to do assignments for less than AU$100 are targeting international students in Australia doing vocational courses at private colleges, including those that don’t require class attendance. According to the law introduced in September 2020, providers found to be selling or advertising contract cheating services can face up to two years in prison and a fine of up to $110,000. Higher education providers are urging the federal government to extend this legislation to the Vocational Education and Training sector.

Following the rapid transition to digital delivery that many institutions have had to navigate, there has been an increase in online services that help students cheat. A simple Google search for the term ‘assignment help’ returned 279 million results in mid-June 2020 and 302 million in early 2021. In Australia to help combat the problem, the Government has passed a law that makes it an offence to provide or advertise academic cheating services in higher education and published an academic integrity toolkit.

Australian universities plan to monitor students through software like Proctorio or ProctorU as they take exams from home during the coronavirus pandemic. Both platforms require students to grant access to their computer’s webcam, microphone, and keystrokes to prevent cheating. Students and academics are concerned about the lack of full transparency about where data is stored, who can access it, and whether it complies with current Australian regulations.

The Australian Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency is tightening its cooperation with international regulators to tackle contract cheating on an industrial scale. A recent study shows that 10 per cent of students pay others to complete their assessments. The Federal Government has introduced penalties of up to two years of imprisonment and fines of up to $210,000 for contract cheats.

The Minister of Education announced that cheats selling their services to Australian university students would face two years imprisonment or fines of up to AU$100,000. Students who cheat will also be subject to their institutions’ own academic integrity policies and sanctions. The Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency will be empowered to request legal measures to force internet service providers and search engines to block cheating websites.

“Contract cheating” is becoming commonplace in many Australian universities, with a range of easily accessed services offering to complete assignments or sit an exam for money. Some services even offer the students the possibility of choosing the type of grade, the price is adjusted according to the grade they wish to obtain. The Government submitted new legislation and the person providing cheating services to students could face two years in jail and a $210,000 fine.