Our efforts to keep international education from being a Federal Election issue have failed abysmally this time around. During previous election campaigns, the worry was always whether Pauline Hanson or some other right-wing fringe party might target overseas students to garner a headline and some cheap votes. Unfortunately, in 2025 the major parties have our sector firmly in their sights.
So, if we cut straight to the chase, at this stage of the campaign, what would be the best outcome for our students and the 250,000 Australians who work in this wonderful enabling sector of ours? An increasing number of you are suggesting that a minority Labor Government kept in power by the Teals (or in combination with the Greens) would be best on 3rd May.
In their housing statement of one week ago, the Liberal/National Party Coalition clearly showed their disregard for everything that we do. In contrast, Labor have chosen not to make student numbers an election issue. Nonetheless, the argument then goes that if a majority Labor Government is returned they will spend the following three years looking over their shoulder at the Coalition constantly blaming them for not sufficiently capping the inflows of students. However, if reliant on cross-bench support to stay in Government, then Labor will at least have the legitimate response that support for a sustainable international education sector is part of the deal they have struck with the Teals/Greens. Of course, this scenario is dependent on the Teals and Greens actually getting behind us (but at least the Senate ESOS Bill hearings highlighted that they understand what we are about!).
Given that there are only a few weeks left of this campaign, we should at least now renew our focus on what the international education community would like to happen post-election. Of course, IEAA has already distributed a comprehensive Federal Election Platform with 18 really important “calls to action”. But, in no particular order, my wish list for the first 6 months of a new Government would be as follows:-
- Revitalise the National Council for International Education and provide it with a mandate to publish a new National Strategy that is not overtly “filtered” by politicians and the bureaucracy
- Revitalise the “student voice”. Since the demise of the Council for International Students in Australia (CISA), there has been no mechanism for a national student voice to be heard. If we are going to remain true to our narrative that “students must be at the centre of everything we do” then a good starting point will be to assist in supporting the creation of an effective new overseas student body
- Get sufficient buy-in from education providers, our peak bodies, the business community and other stakeholders to finally launch a comprehensive public relations campaign that educates the wider Australian community on the incredible benefits that accrue to our nation from everything that we do. Again, many of you are aware that IEAA gave this a red hot go with our post-COVID “International Students Help Australia Thrive” social media campaign but we lacked sufficient support to maximise its impact
- Get the new Government to commit to publishing a statement which reaffirms our nation as a welcoming world class study destination country together with announcing a road map for reducing student visa charges, at the very least, for less than 12 month study programs.
Whether it be delivering on further integrity measures, finding better ways to support our sub-sectors such as schools, VET, ELICOs and PBSA, agreeing on what ATEC should be about, re-visiting the NCP guidelines or future-proofing research funding there is a lot of “unfinished business” for our beleaguered sector. However, if we can initially focus on my four above mentioned “wish list” points then we might at least steer a new Government in the right direction to ensure our sustainability!
This is a personal opinion piece by Phil Honeywood, CEO of the International Education Association of Australia
