Australia’s student caps risk global standing, universities say

Australia’s global reputation as a provider of high-quality tertiary education is threatened by proposed international student caps, a university peak body said, even as polling shows broad support for the changes. Universities Australia Chair David Lloyd said countries including the UK and the US would be big winners from the center-left Labor government’s plan to limit foreign student places to 270,000 next year - 175,000 for the higher education sector and 95,000 for skills colleges. Lloyd pointed to Canada as a cautionary tale for Australia after it imposed similar restrictions only to see new international student enrolments fall by more than expected. “Australia could suffer the same fate as Canada if prospective students don’t feel welcome and decide their future isn’t worth gambling with,” Lloyd said in a speech to the National Press Club in Canberra on Wednesday. “What is a sure bet is that our other international competitor nations -- the UK, the US and others - are standing by ready to capitalise on our poor policy decisions.” The speech came as the leader of Australia’s second-largest state plans to visit India in part to promote stronger ties in education. Victorian Premier Jacinta Allen said in an interview with the Australian Financial Review that her state would “always be a welcoming place for international students.” But new polling by Essential found the student caps were popular with Australian voters, who are concerned about a surge in migration and a housing crisis since the pandemic. Australia is due to hold an election in the next nine months. More than 50 per cent of Australians surveyed by Essential said a cap of 270,000 students was “about right,” with a further 37 per cent saying it was still too high. Education Minister Jason Clare said Australia’s international education industry “makes us money, makes us friends” but added that he wanted to make sure the system was being used “in a way that protects its integrity.” “That’s what these settings do, they help to manage the system in a better and fair way,” he said. “Universities don’t run the migration system in Australia.” Bloomberg.