As folks in the NT go to the polls this weekend, the Chief Minister appears to have gotten on the front foot, announcing an NT carve out of Canberra’s plans for international student caps.
In a LinkedIn post yesterday, Eva Lawler, the NT Chief Minister, said, “The Territory will be exempt from any cuts to international students – which is really important for Charles Darwin University and our economy.
“Back in May, I fought for the Territory to be carved out of any caps to international student numbers and today that has been delivered through strong advocacy” she said.
Vice Chancellor of Charles Darwin, Scott Bowman, has long made this case too, and it appears he and the Chief Minister may just have received an early Christmas present from Canberra.
Stopping short of confirming the Chief Minister’s comments, Bowman, who spoke with the Koala, said, “I am very happy that the Education Minister has been in contact with the Chief Minister of the Northern Territory about the Student Visa issues. It would appear that the Minister has reassured our Chief Minister that he understands the very special circumstances of the Northern Territory in terms of the need for international students. Like every other university in Australia we are expecting to have an international student limit set. We are reassured to hear that this limit will reflect the need of the Northern Territory.”
Well played to those in the NT.
It is understood that further information on the caps will be released in the coming two weeks. However, there’s nothing like a looming election to fast-track good news for constituents.
