The election marks a crucial moment for the the industry that has seen declining numbers across all levels since 2009. While industry leaders are pleased to see international education on both the Labour and Coalition’s campaign agendas, peak bodies feel offers fall short of their calls for a “champion in government” last month.

“This Federal Election is a critical one for the international education sector and it’s future,” said Australian Council for Private Education and Training (ACPET) CEO Claire Field.

“Australia’s education sector has been clear about what needs to be done to rebuild our industry”

“Despite some rebounding in the university sector, the majority of the vocational education and training, English language and schools sectors remain in deep decline.”

She added that “Australia’s education sector has been clear about what needs to be done to rebuild our industry” including lighter touch regulation, streamlined visa processing and more aggressive promotion of Australia as a study destination.

This week, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd’s Labour party released a series of policies that would set up a top-level industry innovation council for international education and extend streamlined visa processing to TAFE and private providers.

Speaking with The Australian, Phil Honeywood, Executive Director of the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA) said the strategy announcement that was expected soon after the Chaney report in February has come “too little, too late”.

“It’s good that they’ve finally recognised international education but we haven’t been able to get any meeting with any minister (in the run up to the election),” he said.

The government also recently released a report calling for lighter-touch regulation reform in the university sector. Industry leaders have argued that it should be extended to all levels of education including English language centres in order to avoid duplication among multi-level providers.

The latest polls place Rudd slightly behind the opposing Coalition candidate Tony Abbot whose party has recently come forward to announce that, if elected, it would commit AUS$100 million to a five-year New Colombo plan that would support 300 Australian students to study in the Asia-Pacific region.

Belinda Robinson, Chief Executive of Universities Australia said the initiative is “smart economic policy, smart foreign policy and smart higher education policy”.

“Australians want to know what role the major parties see universities playing in meeting the skills needs of the future”

“While this means that 13% of undergraduates will have an international study experience over the course of their degree, this number needs to increase if we are to make meaningful headway in improving Australia’s Asian capability,” she said.

Universities Australia also welcomed the Coalition’s announcement that it would not go forward with budget cuts to the tertiary education sector that were revealed by the Labour government earlier this year.

However the organisation has called on both parties to articulate their plans to promote Australia as destination of choice and support a National Research Investment Plan.

“Australians want to know what role the major parties see universities playing in meeting the skills needs of the future and in under-pinning the well-being of the nation,” Robinson said.