Business leaders, GO8 demand new Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke overhaul planned caps on international students

Business leaders and Australia’s biggest universities seize on Anthony Albanese’s reshuffle to demand new Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke overhaul Labor’s ‘devastating’ planned caps on international students.

Anthony Albanese holds at a ministry meeting in Canberra on Monday. Picture: NewsWire / David Beach

Business leaders and Australia’s biggest universities have seized on Anthony Albanese’s reshuffle in Home Affairs and immigration to demand an overhaul of Labor’s “devastating” planned caps on international students.

The Group of Eight was requesting an urgent meeting with new Home Affairs and Immigration Minister Tony Burke as Anthony Albanese declared Peter Dutton should hold his own reshuffle and sack Barnaby Joyce, after the maverick MP used a gun analogy to encourage voters to get rid of the Prime Minister and two Labor ministers at the election.

Peter Dutton stood by his frontbencher amid mounting calls from Labor MPs for Mr Joyce to go, saying the former deputy prime minister’s apology was appropriate.

The Opposition Leader has ruled out any further changes to his shadow ministry ahead of the election.

“The bullet you have is that little piece of paper,” Mr Joyce told a group of protesters against a planned offshore wind zone in the Illawarra over the weekend.

“And it goes in the magazine called the voting box and it’s (the election) coming up. Get ready to load that magazine. Go ‘goodbye, Chris (Bowen)’, ‘goodbye, Stephen (Jones)’, ‘goodbye, Albo’.”

Some senior Coalition MPs described the comments as “totally stupid”, “unfortunate” and “dumb but harmless”, saying they didn’t believe it was a sackable offence.

Mr Joyce apologised for using the metaphor.

Mr Albanese said the comments were “completely unacceptable” and could incite violent behaviour, noting the increase in threats against Australian politicians, the attempted assassination of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and the deaths of two parliamentarians in the UK.

“It’s a test for Peter Dutton. Peter Dutton has had four reshuffles, he should have a fifth, and Barnaby Joyce should go,” the Prime Minister told Sky News.

“This is the sort of language which has no place in any part of Australian society, let alone in public life, from someone who has served as deputy prime minister, not just once, but twice. Someone who continues to serve as a shadow minister … What does this bloke have to do to lose his job?”

Deputy Liberal leader Sussan Ley refused to condemn the remarks but conceded she wouldn’t have used that language.

Mr Dutton told The Australian: “Mr Joyce has apologised and that is appropriate.”

GO8 chief executive Vicki Thomson said Sunday’s reshuffle provided an opportunity for the government to “review and refine” its migration strategy – in particular proposed caps on international student numbers - and “address any unintended consequences for Australia’s $48bn international education industry”.

PTanya Plibersek, left, Tony Burke and Jim Chalmers in Canberra on Monday. Picture: NewsWire / David Beach

Education Minister Jason Clare’s department is due to begin individual talks with universities to set a cap on their individual student enrolments.

“Imposing caps on international student enrolments will have long lasting, damaging consequences for our economy, our capacity to attract the highest-quality students, our skilled workforce and Australia’s international reputation,” Ms Thomson said.

“The government is making a critical mistake by using international students as a scapegoat to manage a short-term spike in migration and ease housing pressure. Australia needs high quality, high achieving graduates who will contribute to our economic and social prosperity.”

Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry chief executive Andrew McKellar said Mr Burke needed to rethink student caps and proposed restrictions placed on students, universities and courses.

“It (international education) is a huge export earner for Australia. It’s fundamental to our skills and training system. We have deep concerns about the impact a number of the things that are proposed currently will mean for the sector,” Mr McKellar said. “We will certainly be working with a lot of those other groups to engage Tony Burke on those points.”

Business Council of Australia chief executive Bran Black also urged a reset on international student caps to “ensure economic harm isn’t inflicted on our economy and the broader business sector”, saying he looked forward to working with Mr Burke to address the serious economic concerns of the business community.

“International students contributed almost a quarter of all GDP growth over the year to March 2024 and the short-term decision to cut numbers will have a long-term negative hit to the economy,” Mr Black said.

While there were no major concerns within the business community about Mr Albanese’s decision to drop the skills and training portfolio from cabinet - instead putting it in the junior ministry with Andrew Giles - Ms Ley described the move as “terrible”.

“The skills and training portfolio, which I have in opposition, that I chose in opposition because it’s so important, has now been lumped with the worst performing minister in the Albanese government and it’s been taken out of cabinet,” Ms Ley told ABC radio.

“We know that skills and training is fundamental to the prosperity of Australia. We hear the Prime Minister talk about a future made in Australia’ How can you do that if you don’t have the skills we need?”

Health Minister Mark Butler said skills and training remained part of the employment and workplace relations portfolio and would continue to have cabinet representation through the new minister Murray Watt.