For those heaving a sigh of relief this morning at a Labor majority government, let’s not forget that while an alternative federal election outcome would have been too damaging to contemplate, there is still much work to be done.
The campaign rhetoric is still fresh in our minds with Labor proposing a further increase to the student visa application fee from the current AUD$1,600 to AUD$2,000, a move expected to raise an additional AUD$760 million for government revenue over the next four years. Over the past few weeks, both major parties have campaigned hard on promises signalling further restrictions for international education and a commitment to capping student visa numbers at 400,000 annually. Bipartisan promises for tighter student visa conditions, increased financial thresholds for international students, and caps in the name of migration and housing have all been unfolding on the world stage where Australia’s reputation as a welcoming study destination hangs in the balance.
We know from experience, and from well-documented examples in the US, Canada, and the UK, that any whiff of precarity in a study destination encourages prospective students to divert attention to other, more welcoming destinations. In the UK’s case, European competitors have been the beneficiaries of its restrictions. In Australia’s, Canada and New Zealand stand to gain.
We also know that similar restrictive approaches from the UK aimed at curbing migration have led to a sharp drop in international student enrolments, a critical revenue stream for universities and other providers. When universities and other institutions face financial uncertainty, costs are cut, leading to precarious employment where knowledge workers, academics, and professional staff face job insecurity. Times Higher Education reports that up to 10,000 UK university jobs are at risk by the end of 2025 alone.
While the immediate focus of declining international student numbers and revenue losses falls first on job losses, there is a hidden crisis in the sector that is not being discussed adequately—The quiet erosion of expertise and leadership capacity already underway. The fact that continued policy instability has been driving valuable talent out of our sector over the past few years.
Those in the sector over the pandemic years will recall how, after the Australian borders reopened to international students, 2022 to 2024 saw acute teacher shortages as well as severe gaps in adequately trained and experienced managers to sustain operations. This collective loss of knowledge, experience and expertise at all levels of research, management, professional staff, and teaching took years to remedy, and many institutions are yet to recover fully from the impacts of those years.
What we are witnessing now as a result of financial constraints created by policy is the constant restructuring of the workforce at organisations, which is already disrupting institutional memory, dismantling strategic vision, and eroding leadership continuity. This constant sense of impermanence, both external and internal, is fuelling a culture of exiting the sector for more stable industries. Without stability, the best professionals will job-hop or “flip and run” rather than investing in the welfare of their institutions, teams, or their own long-term career growth. It’s also worth mentioning that while poor leadership can manifest even in stable environments, it is in times of uncertainty, especially that we are more likely to see the rise of pseudo-leaders—those driven by self-interest, exploiting instability, and profiting from shortsighted policy. Continued uncertainty specifically increases focus on individual self-preservation and distracts from a collective good or commitment to long-term benefit.
International Education and ELICOS specifically, was founded on the hard work of professionals who stayed to cultivate the deep, sustained commitment needed to build strong expertise and depth. We have been fortunate to have an abundance of strong leadership examples at all levels of our organisations, pressing on against all odds, focussed on the needs of those in their charge, often in isolation, and sometimes at great cost to themselves. From these leaders we have learnt that leadership—political, organisational, or academic—takes time, consistency, and stability. It takes time to consider the changing needs of the environment, research and propose sustainable solutions, and create cultures that foster innovation and nurture the next generation of leaders.
Survival and innovation, however, sit at opposite ends of the spectrum. This is Maslow’s hierarchy of needs in action: without security and stability in the sector, professionals cannot thrive. Without thriving professionals, students lose. And when students lose, so does Australia.
While the leadership and talent crisis created by a global pandemic was not of our making, this leadership and workforce crisis is of our making, fuelled by the government’s refusal to acknowledge the lessons learnt from other destinations or consult locally on long-term impacts of policy change to the sustainability of International Education. This phase of Labor leadership demands more than fiscal manoeuvring—it demands foresight and vision not reaction. It demands not short-term political wins, but long-term consultation and planning with industry leaders to protect the integrity of our sector, to support the professionals and experts who power it, and to safeguard international education as a cornerstone of Australia’s knowledge economy and diplomatic soft power.
Aparna Jacob has worked in international education since 2008, beginning as a teacher before moving into academic leadership across private and university sectors in Sydney. A former English Australia board member for over eight years, she is now Director of Studies at UNSW College, where she leads Academic English programs and champions the evolving role of international education in shaping global futures.
