February
RBA warning on foreign student cuts
Government policies to reduce the number of overseas students are working, and the Reserve Bank harbours some concerns.
Tech visa lobby foots bill for Andrew Bragg’s Christmas bash
It’s less glamorous than the Hemmes-sponsored party of 2023, but at least anyone interested in skilled migration or international student caps was happy.
January
Scape draws investors to $6b student housing fund
Despite regulatory uncertainty over student numbers the sector is likely to keep growing, with a pipeline of 30,000 new beds over the next 5 years.
Unis expect near-record foreign student numbers despite policy chaos
The Albanese government has been switching higher education guidelines in efforts to reduce the international student intake, with little effect.
December 2024
Influx of Kiwis, backpackers adds to migration woes
Large numbers of New Zealanders escaping a sluggish economy and backpackers arriving en masse are keeping numbers far higher than government forecasts.
Migration target not a chance, as students keep coming
A raft of government reforms to slow the rate of net migration have been slow to take hold as more students arrive and fewer leave.
Dutton walks back migration target until after election
Peter Dutton has stepped away from a previous commitment to cut net migration to 160,000.
Dexus lobs bid for big super’s Aussie student apartment portfolio
Of note, Canadian giant Brookfield also participated in the first round but ultimately decided the asset wasn’t for it.
November 2024
‘I’m not going to say no to a nice salary’: outgoing Melbourne Uni boss
Duncan Maskell rejects criticism of million-dollar pay packets for vice chancellors, hits back at claims there are too many overseas students, and insists a university education should be free.
China envoy’s plea to Albanese: Don’t let Trump come between us
Ambassador Xiao Qian also raised concerns over Australian moves to clamp down on foreign students during a wide-ranging press conference.
Pivotal election for higher education calls for bigger discussion
Beyond the next election horizon that is driving the student caps issue, the challenges universities now face deserve a serious policy conversation.
AFR readers back foreign student caps
Barely 40 per cent of AFR readers support Peter Dutton and the Greens for blocking caps on foreign students, but the Coalition is regarded as the best to manage migration.
They came in their millions, now voters are fed up
Half of all Australians say migration is too high and politicians are hearing that message loud and clear.
Student bed developers look beyond Sydney, Melbourne as market matures
Demand remains strong in the two largest cities, but the purpose-built accommodation sector is looking more widely for cheaper sites.
Labor could use legal loophole to cap student numbers
The federal government’s bid to limit the foreign intake failed. But it already has legislation that allows it to do exactly that.
Chinese social media users slam foreign student chaos
Students and university leaders are digesting what the blocking of student caps legislation mean for them.
Foreign students row is political kryptonite
The government accuses Peter Dutton of hypocrisy for rejecting its foreign student caps, but the Opposition Leader is not about to do Labor any favours this close to an election.
Dutton vows ‘deeper cuts’ to student enrolments, migration numbers
The opposition leader says Labor’s management of migration has been an “onshore disaster”, but he has declined to detail the Coalition’s policy.
Universities shifting from era of globalisation to intervention
These international institutions are being hit by a wave of forces that is changing the shape of higher education.
Foreign student cap plan’s collapse is a sign of the times
Migration is gaining momentum as a policy area voters want the government to deal with. And politicians are tapping into the zeitgeist.