The international education sector has grappled for years with how to gain a social licence within the Australian community. The key challenge to achieving this social licence is that it is inextricably linked to the perceived impact of the sector on the community, and there is an inevitable reaction by governments when the negatives of that perceived impact outweigh the positives.
International students are conveniently linked to pressures that are also influenced by other factors. Housing availability and affordability, for example, which is tied to higher interest rates, vacancies in the construction workforce, and a lack of urban planning. Population growth is another example, with international student numbers being conflated with immigration figures.
Australia has experienced several negative community perceptions ‘waves’ of the international education sector over the past 30 years. Although, until now, these waves have rarely coincided with similar issues in our competitor countries. Recently, the governments of Australia, UK and Canada have made similar policy decisions in response to negative perceptions of the impact of international students in the community.
- ‘It’s time to rein it in’: Canada cuts foreign college students amid record immigration rates, citing housing, cost-of-living crisis
- UK introduces measures to curb intake of international students
- ‘Unreasonable practice’ of foreign students obtaining family visas comes to an end
The themes are similar:
- The Canadian government is capping international student numbers for two years, in response to pressure over increasing housing unaffordability, which has been linked to immigration growth.
- UK visa restrictions have been introduced, including changes to student dependant rules, targeted at reducing the net migration level.
- Australia’s migration strategy release at the end of 2023 due to community pressures on the Australian government tied to migration numbers, including cost of living, housing and jobs.
This begs the question; will the social licence always be at the mercy of changes in community and government sentiment? Probably. But while the social license for hosting international students may fluctuate with changes in sentiment, there is a role for ongoing advocacy by the sector to help mitigate risks.
For a short time during the COVID pandemic the significance of international students and the sector to the Australian community appeared to gain traction. The mainstream media coverage and commentary, including about workforce gaps that had been filled by international students, was generally positive. This momentum may be shifting, due to the community pressures mentioned above, which underscores the need for continued awareness-raising about the valuable contributions international students make to the community.
With the start of the academic year in Australia about to commence, it is an ideal time for the sector to re-energise to engage with groups in the community. Engaging local communities in orientation, positive news stories about welcoming new students, and connecting with local employers are just some examples, and there are almost endless other opportunities to advocate for international students in the community.
