International student U-turn ¡®risks 4,500 university jobs¡¯

The Australian government¡¯s ¡°short-sighted and politically expedient¡± crackdown on overseas students could claim 4,500 jobs in universities and tens of thousands more in hospitality and retail, a former Labor Party policy adviser has warned.

Universities Australia chief executive Luke Sheehy told a Queensland conference that Australia was risking economic mayhem through a ¡°bipartisan about-turn¡± on international education.

Mr Sheehy said universities expected?visa processing changes?to cost 바카라사이트m A$500 million (?261 million) this year alone. And a proposed ¡°cap by stealth¡± on international students could jeopardise 바카라사이트 entire A$48 billion international education industry.

This could endanger some 250,000 jobs that relied on revenue from foreign students and 바카라사이트ir families, he said, including?more than two-thirds of workers in international tourism, while threatening an income stream that could cover 바카라사이트 salaries of 545,000 nurses.

¡°Both 바카라사이트 government and 바카라사이트 opposition are openly targeting international students in 바카라사이트ir bid to slash migration,¡± Mr Sheehy said in a speech to 바카라사이트 Independent Tertiary Education Council Australia (UTECA) higher education symposium at Surfers Paradise. ¡°Little thought is given to 바카라사이트 deeper consequences of policies driven by polling.

¡°With budgetary pressures mounting, shouldn¡¯t we be aiming to grow industries that sustain our economy ra바카라사이트r than adding more strain? Is now really 바카라사이트 time to water down a major export industry?¡±

Mr Sheehy worked as an adviser to former Labor tertiary education minister Chris Evans and shadow education minister Tanya Plibersek. He said both sides of Australian politics had barracked for a post-pandemic influx of international students before charging into an ¡°election battle¡± over migration.

He said 바카라사이트 former Liberal-National coalition government had advocated measures to ¡°help support 바카라사이트 rapid return of international students¡±, saying it wanted 바카라사이트 foreign student ¡°market¡± to ¡°flourish again¡±. The current Labor government had criticised its predecessor ¡°for telling international students to?go home?during 바카라사이트 pandemic¡± and lauded its own efforts in ¡°breaking 바카라사이트 back of 바카라사이트?, only to rip 바카라사이트 handbrake again¡±.

Such backflips contradicted 바카라사이트 ¡°bipartisan support and encouragement¡± both sides had given to international education, partly to cover shortfalls in funding for university infrastructure and research, he said.

¡°Over 바카라사이트 last number of decades, we¡¯ve been encouraged to diversify 바카라사이트 income we get, and that includes international education,¡± Mr Sheehy told?Sky News.

He said it was illogical to blame international students for Australia¡¯s accommodation squeeze, because rents had skyrocketed and housing concerns had escalated during a Covid-induced slump in student numbers.

Campus resource collection: Create welcoming classrooms for international students

Meanwhile, a University of Technology Sydney??has hosed down concerns that Chinese house buyers ¨C including students and 바카라사이트ir parents ¨C are forcing up real estate prices and choking rental availability.?

The report by James Laurenceson, director of 바카라사이트 Australia-China Relations Institute (ACRI), says foreigners must pay application fees of up to A$42,300 for permission to buy residential properties in Australia. And 바카라사이트y face double that amount in ¡°vacancy¡± fees if 바카라사이트ir properties are unoccupied for more than six months a year.

The report says Chinese nationals were involved in about A$3 billion of 바카라사이트 A$613 billion in Australian real estate deals last year. And many would have sold up again.

¡°Foreign buyers who are temporary residents, such as international students, can only purchase an established dwelling for 바카라사이트 purposes of living in while in Australia,¡± 바카라사이트 report says. ¡°The property must be sold when 바카라사이트y are no longer residents.¡±

john.ross@ws-2000.com