The Australia China Business Council (ACBC) 2026 International Education and Visitor Economy Forum was held on 9 June in the International Towers at Barangaroo in Sydney. The theme of the Forum was ‘The Changes Currently Happening to the International Education Industry and International Education Allied Industries’. The two key sponsors for the were Study NSW and Baker McKenzie.
Several former and present senior politicians attended and spoke. Andrew Robb a previous Federal Vocational Education Minister attended and Peter Hendy a previous Assistant Minister for Finance and Productivity, the current CEO of IHEA, was a panellist . There were a number of speakers from Universities, VET RTOs, the NSW Government, Peak Bodies and international education allied industries.
Helen Zhi Dent, President, ACBC NSW did the Welcome and Acknowledgement of Country and introduced Hon Matt Thistlethwaite, MP the Assistant Minister for Immigration and Assistant Minster for Foreign Affairs and Trade who delivered the Keynote Address was delivered and began his address in Mandarin. He stressed the importance of international education and he quoted the previous Prime Minister, Bob Hawke who said, ‘when we provide high quality education, then we reap the benefits of the more productive lives [that our] highly skilled young people will lead’ and suggested this is why we have built an enviable world-class education system in Australia.
The Assistant Minister stressed that the Australian education system includes a subsidised early childhood education, primary and secondary schooling system, vocational education and training institutions and universities. He stated that the international education sector has grown enormously from the 1990s when there was ‘barely a handful’ of international students to more than 840,000 students who enrolled in Australian universities this year with a quarter (190,000) of them being from China. International education is Australia’s fifth largest export industry which brings prosperity and good will to our homeland. The Assistant Minister stressed that his government advocated Transnational Education (TNE), particularly in South-east Asia.
A number of delegates, panellists and speakers raised concerns about recent policy and legislation changes that were impacting on the number of international students coming to Australia and offshore delivery. Andrew Robb spoke about the impact of policies of major political parties on TNE and highlighted the fact that the opportunities were being undermined by the “critical” policies of the major political parties.
The CEO of NEAS Adam Kilburn stressed that because of these polices Australia was losing a large number of students studying in ELICOS colleges which he stated is an ‘important piece of the international student journey’. NEAS a quality assurance agency has lost a large number of members and some were moving into areas that didn’t involve international students. Adam stressed how important ELICOS is in providing students with an introduction to life in Australia, engaging with the community and learning abut our culture.
Troy Yue came to Griffith University as an international student from China. Troy is now the Group Director and CEO of NIET Group, which comprises four Australian Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) based in South East Queensland and Tasmania. Under Troy’s leadership, NIET Group has secured 250 university articulations and offers nearly 50 qualifications across the care sector, business, hospitality, languages, and technology, supported by more than 50 active industry partnerships.
Troy Yue experienced first-hand the challenges of entering the Australian workforce—specifically the language and cultural barriers that can prevent students from fully utilising their skills. This personal journey inspired him to design programs tailored to help students gain the specific skills they need to thrive in the local community.
Troy addressed the increase challenges associated with increased regulations, accommodation challenges, cost of visa application.
The NIET Education Group has also experienced a decline in student numbers and experiencing the challenges that have an impact on the students, providers, partners, agents, employers and communities.
Troy stressed that the future would rely on highly attractive, strategic meaningful links between education and employment. Students and families are making decisions more carefully and we cannot rely on Australia’s traditional reputation. The key issues are graduate outcomes, academic standards, meeting student needs, industry expectations all in an environment of resilience, relevance and quality .
John Ross from Times Higer Education (THE) stated that at the ACBC forum the Data specialist Keri Ramirez the Managing Director of Study Move said ‘that before the coronavirus pandemic, 45 per cent of international higher education students had first undertaken other studies in Australia, notably in English language. By 2024-25, that proportion had halved’. Consequently, more students – particularly from China – were now rejecting offers of places at Australian universities, Ramirez told the Forum. “Before, students, were [already] here in Australia. They were already engaged, and they were going to continue their studies. Now we’re subject to a more vulnerable market.”
John Ross’s (THE) article also reported that “We collaborate with the world’s best minds,” said one of the speakers at the Forum, James Laurenceson, Director of the Australia-China Relations Institute at the University of Technology Sydney. “We don’t do it ourselves. In 2026, the bulk of the world’s best minds, at least when it comes to STEM fields – they are in China.” “We don’t just collaborate with the best minds overseas in China,” he told the Forum. “We bring them here. This is an untold story of the Australian higher education system. We are an incredibly brain-attracting country.”
The ACBC Forum was an incredible event and a huge thanks to Victor Ruifeng Liang the ACBC Senior Manager (Program, Insights, and Stakeholder Relations) an excellent MC who asked in depth and thought-provoking question of all speakers . The feedback from all attendees has been excellent .
David Riordan was the CEO of the NSW Department of Education and Training International, the CEO of Sydney Institute of TAFE which was the largest TAFE Institute in Australia at that time and acted as Managing Director of TAFE NSW on several occasions . David co-convened the ACBC International Education Symposiums in 2021, 2022 and 2023. David assisted with the coordination of the ACBC 2026 International Education and Visitor Economy Forum .
