Topics: International student caps
Kieran Gilbert: Now let’s return to the issue of the university caps. Shadow education minister Sarah Henderson, with me, and the Coalition is supporting the idea of caps on international students?
Senator Henderson: Kieran, good afternoon. Yes, we are. But of course, this is only necessary because of Labor’s immigration chaos, which has seen a more than doubling of the number of foreign students coming into the country. We do have a number of concerns about the legislation before the parliament, and that is exacerbated because we’ve had a number of senate inquiry hearings, and very disappointingly, the minister has really shut down so much information. So, we do need more information about how this legislation will operate, but this is necessary, as I say, because of the government’s immigration chaos.
Kieran Gilbert: You’ve had a crack though at the Group of Eight, calling it `the rivers of gold’ that they’ve been achieving in recent years. Are you worried that those universities will use this as cover to reduce the number of local students?
Senator Henderson: Now look, I am Kieran, and that suggestion by the group of eight has already been made yesterday to cut domestic students, and that is simply not good enough. Australian public universities are here fundamentally to educate Australian students, and there are rivers of gold, billions of dollars from international student revenues, and we think the balance is wrong. For instance, at the University of Sydney, half of all students are foreign students. They derive $1.5 billion last year from international student revenues, and yet there are fundamental concerns about teaching quality and declining student experience and learning experience on campus. So, we say very firmly, `Please put Australian students first’, and let’s not forget Kieran, the Group of Eight universities have seen this massive increase in students at the universities this year – a 34 per cent increase to 83,000 new students, and the regional unis have been decimated. And that’s because of the Albanese government’s immigration policies, Ministerial Direction, 107, which has looked after the top end of town while punishing the regions and that is, frankly, disgraceful.
Kieran Gilbert: Well, I did speak to the Vice Chancellor, the interim VC at the University of Wollongong, one of those regional unis. He agrees with your assessment to this point, but he said this change will help provide a level playing field, so he welcomed initiative from the minister.
Senator Henderson: Well, even still, the numbers for regional unis are going backwards compared to 2019 and for the big end of town, the prestigious Australian universities, the Group of Eight, their numbers are going up from 2019 by some 12 per cent so the regions are still going backwards, but certainly there has been some re-setting. But it is absolutely shocking what’s been happening across regional communities, and it’s happened squarely on Jason Clare’s Watch. He has imposed this shocking discrimination on regional universities. It’s a complete mess, and it’s no wonder the higher education sector is in such turmoil at the moment.
Kieran Gilbert: Do the Group of Eight unis, like the University of Sydney, do they only have themselves to blame – given they’ve allowed say over recent years, and they’ve encouraged the industry to the point where it’s fine to be to be making as much money and subsidising research and so on, but when you’ve got 50 per cent of your cohort, your student cohort, coming from overseas, surely that’s not good enough, is it?
Senator Henderson: Well, we have questioned the social license, because all universities do need a social license to bring international students into the country and not just the Coalition. Vice Chancellors like Ian Martin, the VC of Deakin University, has also raised concerns about the numbers coming in, and every country has responsibility to manage its migration program. I mean, that’s the bottom line. And under this government, really, the immigration numbers have gone through the roof. And of course, the government has not considered the impact on housing, on cost-of-living for ordinary Australians, particularly in the big cities. So, we did hear the other day, Kieran that some 500,000 foreign students are being forced onto the private rental market now that means, of course, that that places enormous pressures on housing. But for the Group of Eight, I think they are really exaggerating their situation. They’re crying poor right now, and yet the proposal for their cap next year is the same as last year, which is around about 60,000 or so new starters. And they weren’t crying poor last year. So, I think they really do need to keep things in perspective, and they do need to return to the fundamentals we’ve been saying, please get back to basics, like in our schools. Get back to basics. Focus on good, solid, strong education for Australian students. And yes, of course, our international education sector is important, but it must not come at the expense of the obligation that public unis have to Australians.
Kieran Gilbert: Shadow education minister, Sarah Henderson – thanks.