June 10, 2021
A plan approved by the New South Wales Government for the safe return of international students is a significant step forward for our universities, our students and our local economies.
Go8 Chief Executive Vicki Thomson said the NSW Government had shown tenacity and leadership in putting together a plan that has the health and safety of our students and the broader population front and centre of all considerations. Public safety must always come first.
“With approximately 30,000 Group of Eight (Go8) students currently studying offshore and unable to return to Australia, this proof-of-concept plan is the shot in the arm that is needed.
“We know that for every three international students studying at a Go8 university, $1 million is injected into the Australian economy,” Ms Thomson said.
“Currently, we have around 30,000 Go8 students studying offshore. These students have stuck by our leading research-intensive universities during the pandemic and they have done that with the expectation that they can eventually be back in Australia to resume their studies on campus.
“Last week, the Go8 joined with the agricultural and tourism sectors calling on the Federal Government, State and Territory Governments to deliver a plan to safely reopen our international border,” Ms Thomson said.
“The NSW Government has delivered on that plan and we look forward to it receiving Federal Government support,” Ms Thomson said.