Leader of the Opposition, Peter Dutton, has announced his plans to slash international student commencements by 80,000, arguing that limiting student numbers is crucial to addressing the housing crisis.
Under a government led by Dutton, there will be at most 115,000 overseas student commencements each year at publicly funded universities and at most 125,000 in the VET, private university and non-university higher education sectors.
The 240,000 figure is 30,000 fewer than Labor’s proposal. Caps of this nature were anticipated from Dutton, whose party last year opposed Labor’s ESOS Amendment Bill – legislation aimed at capping international enrolments — arguing it didn’t go far enough to effectively curb student numbers.
However, on April 6, Dutton also set out the Coalition’s mission to raise the student visa application charge to AUD$2,500, and an eye-watering AUD$5,000 for students at the Group of Eight universities.
In addition to the visa fee increase, the Coalition is proposing a new charge of AUD$2,500 for students who wish to change education providers.
Sector leaders have since condemned the proposed visa fee hike, which already more than doubled in 2024.
“Australia already has the highest student visa fees in the world. The Coalition’s plan to hike it even further in this targeted way only reinforces the negative and damaging messages Australia has sent to the international education market in recent years,” Vicki Thomson, chief executive of the Go8, reacted in a statement.
“It makes no sense on any level. We are facing skills shortages in areas critical to our economic competitiveness. It beggars belief that the Coalition would single out the Go8 for extra burden – Australia’s top universities all ranked in the world’s top 100 – that attract the best and brightest minds from our region and around the world,” she continued.
Phil Honeywood, CEO of the International Education Association of Australia (IEAA), has criticised the Coalition’s plans, saying there has been “zero consultation” with key international education stakeholders on the proposed enrolment caps and the “outrageous” student visa charge increase.
“To charge aspirational young people AUD$5,000 for a non-refundable student visa application sends an appalling message from a supposedly welcoming study destination country. This measure alone will persuade students to steer away from Australia and apply instead to much more welcoming nations such as the UK and New Zealand.”
“For months now the Opposition has been ducking and weaving on how harsh their version of enrolment caps would be. Throughout, much of the data that they have thrown into their anti-international student narrative has been questionable and unverified. For example, they have consistently provided no analysis of any connection between rent increases and overseas student numbers,” argued Honeywood.
While it must be tempting for Peter Dutton to play the Donald Trump anti-migration card to voters in this election, he would do well to be better advised on a few key facts
Phil Honeywood, IEAA
“While it must be tempting for Peter Dutton to play the Donald Trump anti-migration card to voters in this election, he would do well to be better advised on a few key facts,” continued Honeywood, pointing to analysis from Mandala, commissioned by the Student Accommodation Council, which indicated that international students have a small presence in Australia’s general private rental market.
Last week, Universities Australia CEO, Luke Sheehy, warned that both major parties in Australia’s federal election “are biting the hand that helps fund our sector” – the international education sector and its students, whose contributions are vital to Australia’s higher education system and inject a significant $50 billion into the economy.
