Foreign Minister Senator the Hon Penny Wong has announced changes to the New Colombo Plan (NCP), and it appears the sector is unhappy about one aspect of the change.
Since its launch in 2014, the NCP has facilitated over 55,000 undergraduate student experiences through study, internships, and language training across the Indo-Pacific region. The program is admired as a transformative one that provides opportunities for young Australians to experience the Indo-Pacific that they otherwise may not have.
From 2026, the NCP will enter its “next phase” according to a press release issued by the Foreign Minister, increasing scholarship opportunities, boosting language learning, and encouraging longer-term, immersive student experiences.
Key changes include a rise in scholarship places to 500 per year by 2028, a new Semester Program to support extended study periods in the region, and the introduction of a language learning target across the program. These measures aim to build a generation of Australians with deep regional expertise and stronger personal, educational and professional ties across Asia and the Pacific.
The reforms will also enable students to undertake NCP-supported programs at Australian offshore campuses in the region, as part of a push to increase engagement with the country’s transnational education footprint.
Additional funding will be provided to Australian universities and consortia to develop Indo-Pacific capability and expand offerings in priority Asian languages. Preference will be given to initiatives that align with key regional locations and sectors outlined in Invested: Australia’s Southeast Asia Economic Strategy to 2040.
The Government also plans to strengthen links between NCP students and the private sector, providing pathways to employment and fostering deeper collaboration between Australian businesses and emerging regional talent.
The reforms were shaped by the New Colombo Plan External Advisory Group, chaired by the Hon Tim Watts MP, and reflect a strategic effort to enhance Australia’s long-term regional influence and understanding.
Grant guidelines for the 2026 New Colombo Plan Scholarship, Semester, and Mobility rounds will be released in August 2025.
It is, however, the change in the NCP mobility program minimum participation from 2 weeks to 4 weeks that is causing concern.
Why not happy?
As Phil Honeywood, CEO of the International Education Association of Australia explains “The Foreign Minister is pivoting the NCP program from its original intent of providing Australian undergrads with Asian understanding to delivering instead Asian capability.
In doing so, she has made it tremendously difficult for lower socio-economic, disabled and First Nations students to now participate in the program. When you are struggling with cost of living pressures, the potential loss of a part time job because of extended travel requirements makes for a real disincentive to participate.
Faced with having to spend longer durations abroad and with their lecturers’ teaching loads now making them unavailable to travel with these cohorts, the Minister’s new guidelines are ironically at odds with Labor Party values. Those of us who served on Minister Wong’s Working Group to examine these proposed Guidelines are now left wondering what was the point of this stakeholder consultation when she has chosen to just steam ahead with her original flawed proposals!”
Indeed.
These points were foreshadowed by Brad Dorahy of CISaustralia (TKN 30/8/24). He wrote:
In 2019 nearly 60,000 Australian students went abroad on a learning abroad experience as part of their degree studies. The primary funding mechanisms were OS-HELP, NCP and institutional support. In 2022 the Learning Abroad sector had only rebounded 38%, from its heights in 2019. The latest data from the 2024 CISaustralia Industry Survey suggests that while there was gradual recovery in 2023, the forecast from Australian Universities is limited to no growth in 2024. Changes to NCP funding, specifically a minimum duration of short-term mobility courses from two to four weeks, has the potential to significantly impact the sector’s recovery even further.
The latest data from the CISaustralia Industry Survey clearly indicates that that the number one most popular type of Learning Abroad program for Australian Universities in 2024 was ‘’study tours’’, with a whopping 92% response rate (30%+ more than any other type of program). We know mobility programs to Asia & the Pacific are primarily study tours for 2 weeks – so this latest change to NCP funding and the minimum duration abroad of 4 weeks will impact the number of programs and students travelling to the region. We also appreciate that Universities and academic staff can’t always afford and don’t want to be overseas for 4+ weeks at a time – its not always financially viable or family-friendly. The 4 week minimum requirement is likely to lead to fewer academics participating in overseas programing solutions (study tours), while potentially increasing involvement in learning abroad programming (study abroad) supported by existing partnerships. These programs benefit from strong in-country support models, which help mitigate risk while achieving academic outcomes.
The impact of these changes to NCP funding on minority groups within the Learning Abroad space, for example, Indigenous programming, students with disabilities and students from lower socio-economic backgrounds could be significant. We know from industry data that the number of students with part time jobs post COVID has doubled due to economic pressures, combine that with students not wanting to lose their accommodation, 4 weeks becomes less attractive and affordable.
In what appears to be the first test of the new government in the international education space since its re-election, it seems that the mode of lack of consultation prevails in its second term.
We can only hope Ministers Clare and Hill take a different approach.
It is understood that the guidelines will be discussed at a meeting of the International Education Council on Monday.
