The Senate Committee Report into the ESOS Amendment Bill provides no clarity on the future for Australia’s higher education system and our most successful services export sector – international education.
Group of Eight Chief executive Vicki Thomson said, “the Senate Committee is clearly split – despite compelling evidence from across the spectrum that capping international students will be a disaster on all fronts, the Government seems determined to push on and ignore the expert advice.
“The Coalition described the Government’s caps scheme as “mired in incompetence, secrecy, uncertainty and unfairness”.The Greens say it’s a chaotic plan that uses international students as scapegoats, and fortunately Senator David Pocock has recognised and called out the threat to Australia’s research effort”
“Nothing the Committee has recommended by way of amendments will change the fact that a blunt cap on international students will destroy Australia’s $50 billion international education sector and have long lasting impacts on the economy.
“The case against caps continues to build. This week we’ve seen evidence via Times Higher Education rankings that slamming the door on international students does impact our international reputation.
“International education has propped up the Australian economy post COVID and this, our most successful services export sector, is now at risk. The RBA has warned that capping international students from 2025 ‘was expected to weigh on services exports’ and yet the Government continues to ignore expert advice.
“‘To add to the chaotic and frenetic nature of this fundamentally flawed policy, the delay in the introduction of the legislation is creating even more confusion for the sector.
“No other multibillion dollar industry sector would be expected to set budgets for the next 12 months in a context of great uncertainty about a future revenue stream. Universities are effectively being held to ransom by a political play around migration ahead of an election.
“It’s in the best interests of the nation that this piece of legislation is delayed indefinitely, or better still scrapped altogether.”