Capping the number of overseas students makes no sense in Western Sydney, where half of all students live in homestays and keep hundreds of local businesses afloat.

That is the view of the incoming head of Western Sydney University, George Williams, who argues the contribution of international students to local economies has been missed in the heated political rhetoric over migration, which paints them as a major source of stress on the housing and rental markets, as well as on transport and the health system.