Topics: International student cap bill
Ali Moore: Do you think that international students are living in the lap of luxury? It’s the argument of the Leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton. Here he is:
“There are plenty of international students in pretty schmick accommodation. Let’s be frank about it. Now there will be other students from other parts of the world scrimping and saving every dollar to send their kids here and there in less salubrious accommodation. But there is accommodation being taken up at the moment by international students, who I believe very strongly taking up an accommodation that should be occupied by Australian citizens.”
Ali Moore: So that’s Peter Dutton. Do you blame housing affordability on foreign students? And how does the coalition’s argument sit with its decision to oppose the government bill aimed at capping foreign student numbers. Sarah Henderson is a shadow education minister and liberal senator for Victoria. Sarah Henderson, welcome to Mornings.
Senator Henderson: Ali. A very good morning to you.
Ali Moore: Dog whistling?
Senator Henderson: Oh, Ali, that’s really offensive. Frankly, we are very, very concerned about this issue, because this bill before the Parliament, this student cap bill, it’s chaotic, it’s confused, and it will do nothing to fix Labor’s migration and housing crisis. This is very much of the government’s own making, because, as we’ve seen Ali under the Albanese government, the number of international students in Australia has almost doubled. There are now more than 800,000 foreign students in this country, and we heard, and the government has even admitted through the Senate inquiry process into the bill that that’s pushing 500,000 foreign students into the private rental market. So, it’s absolutely putting very significant pressures on the housing market. And if you look at just for instance, in Clayton, the home of Monash University, rents have gone up 20 per cent in just one year. Ali, so this is an absolute mess. This bill is, as I say, it is flawed. It does nothing to fix the migration mess, and that’s why we’re opposing it.
Ali Moore: Where does the number of 500,000 students in the private rental market come from?
Senator Henderson: That was very important testimony that we heard in our Senate inquiry. And of course, the government has backed that in and did an assessment of the pressures being placed on the housing market, particularly in Sydney and Melbourne, which have shown very significant increases in rental prices since 2019 and as I mentioned, some big jumps in rentals just in the last year alone.
Ali Moore: I’m still trying to work out who’s quoting 500,000 students in the private rental market. I mean, if you’re looking at around 700,000 student visa holders, or, I’m not sure, I think you used a slightly higher figure, but I think that the number given is that they are six or seven per cent of them are in the private rental market. That doesn’t amount to 500,000 I’m just wondering who has quoted that figure?
Senator Henderson: Well, the private rental market is well in excess of, you know, three and a half million homes. And that figure was quoted and was given as testimony in our centered inquiry by a number of different organizations. So that’s not in dispute at all, Ali, but, but I can tell you what is in dispute is the government’s proposed cap of 270,000 for next year. It doesn’t include what we estimate will be more than 100,000 additional students coming in who are in exempt categories. The other big point that Peter Dutton made very strongly yesterday is we will deliver a cap that will drive migration down further.
Ali Moore: What is your cap? I mean, you have said that you will deliver a cap. You’ve also said that you’re, you know, you’re going to cut permanent migration. But what are the numbers?
Senator Henderson: We will make that announcement in due course, but we have made a commitment that we are not going to tinker at the edges, as Labor has done, and as I’m just trying to explain, if you look at the student visas issued in this in the last couple of years, it was in excess of 500,000 then it was about 360,000 in the last year, a cap of 270,000 that Labor is arguing is bringing the student visas down, doesn’t include at least another 100,000 of exempt foreign students. So this is all smoke and mirrors.
Ali Moore: And at the same time, though, Sarah Henderson isn’t something better than nothing? So if you argue this is a huge issue, if you pass the government legislation, you could make a difference prior to the next election, and then at that point you could introduce further legislation if you wanted to change the numbers.
Senator Henderson: Look, we’re not going to stand by and support the government, basically supporting the big end of town. So, of course, the numbers for the Group of Eight prestigious universities, will go up since 2019 but the regional and mid-tier universities, their cap is going down since 2019, and of course, there are also many, many private education providers that are going to be significantly damaged by this cap, and that includes providers providing very important training for pilots in this country. Now I’ll just give you one example Ali: Western Sydney University said their cap has been reduced so much that it’s going to compromise their ability to train the nurses that Western Sydney needs. And there’s a 10,000-workforce shortage of nurses just in Western Sydney. So the government has taken no regard of the national interest. It has looked after the big end of town. Its cap punishes the regional and mid-tier universities as well as the private education colleges. It would do enormous damage, and as I say, it does nothing to fix the migration and housing crisis, which is a mess of the government’s own making.
Ali Moore: You’re listening to Sarah Henderson, the shadow education minister, Liberal Senator for Victoria. Keen to hear from you whether you blame international students for the housing crisis. Is it politics? Is it policy? 1300 227 774. Sarah Henderson, can I get back to that housing issue? Peter Dutton does say that some of the apartments lived in by foreign students are schmick, are they?
Senator Henderson: Look, there’s a combination. So, some foreign students are coming here and living in private rental accommodation. Others are living in pretty dire circumstances. So, there is a real mix.
Ali Moore: I’m trying to find out, how many do you think of the housing that is currently taken by foreign students would be suitable for the broader rental market.
Senator Henderson: What I’m saying – what has been very clear – and the evidence that we received during the Senate inquiry, Ali, is that the number of foreign students in this country at the moment, is pushing 500,000 onto the private rental market. Now, they’re not our numbers – that is the testimony we have received in the Senate inquiry – and the bottom line is that that is putting enormous pressure on the housing market. And Ali, even the government has admitted that they released a paper through the Department of Education in September which outlined the dramatic increases in rentals, particularly in inner Melbourne, in inner Sydney and in places like Clayton, where Monash University is based. So, we’ve got to take the pressure off. And we know under the Labor government’s Big Australia policy, 1.67 million migrants are coming to Australia over five years now, that’s putting enormous pressure, not just on housing, but on other critical services, like seeing a doctor, for instance.
Ali Moore: Time is of the essence. I just want to ask you a final question. Peter Dutton has also linked the foreign student issue with the government’s handling of asylum seekers. The actual quote is: `Do you think that there are less rapes being committed, less domestic violence, less sexual assault, or less drug dealing or drug trafficking?’ That link: is the Opposition suggesting foreign students are responsible for those things?
Senator Henderson: Look, I’m sorry. I don’t know anything about that quote. I don’t know where that’s come from, or who has made that comment but there is no suggestion than that of course under this government – we’ve seen the previous minister for migration, lose his job, the Minister for Home Affairs has also been sacked – because we’ve seen such a disaster with the way that migration and those in detention have been managed in this country. So we’ve seen this government completely mismanage migration, and that includes, of course, putting at risk community safety because of the fact that they’ve completely dropped the ball on protecting those living in the community from people, of course, have been let out that should never be let out of detention. So, the bottom line is, we’ve seen an absolute mess under this government. We are not going to endorse Labor’s Big Australia policy. We are not going to endorse this bill which looks after the big end of town.
Ali Moore: Sarah Henderson, at that point and we appreciate your time this morning. thank you.
Senator Henderson: Thank you very much, Ali.