Australia has a branding problem.
Not the kind that can be fixed with a new advertising campaign, a refreshed logo or another tourism slogan – a much deeper one that threatens our reputation and potentially, our economy.
For decades we’ve sold an image of ourselves to the world. Since Paul Hogan cheerfully invited Americans to throw another shrimp on the barbie, Australia has marketed itself as warm, welcoming and open. More recently, Tourism Australia’s “Come and Say G’day” campaign has continued that tradition, presenting Australia as a place of extraordinary experiences and friendly people.
But a brand is only as strong as the experience behind it.
And I’m beginning to wonder whether some of the people who choose to come to Australia for all that it offers, who contribute to our economy and who take back their experiences to not only their home countries, but in many places, international organisations, are starting to see a different country altogether.
As Dean of one of Australia’s leading hotel schools, Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School, international students are part of my everyday experience. They come here from China, India, Vietnam, Indonesia and dozens of other countries because they believe Australia offers something special: a world-class education, strong career opportunities and a chance to experience Australian life.
Many work in our hotels, restaurants and tourism businesses while they study. They help deliver the hospitality experience that Australia sells to visitors from around the world. They contribute to local communities, support businesses and build friendships that often last a lifetime.
Most importantly, they leave with memorable stories.
Recently, I listened to two graduating Chinese students reflect on their time in Australia. Both described their experience as life-changing. They spoke about friendships, opportunities and a sense of personal growth that extended far beyond the classroom. They were returning home to build careers in the global hotel industry, but they were also taking something less tangible with them: a deep affection for Australia.
That should matter to all of us.
International students don’t simply leave with qualifications. They leave as future business leaders, employers, investors, decision-makers and influencers. They become part of Australia’s global network, often for the rest of their lives.
In many ways, they are the ultimate test of Brand Australia.
Unlike tourists who may spend a fortnight here, international students experience Australia at street level. They rent homes, use public transport, work part-time jobs, build relationships and navigate everyday life – they experience the country not as a destination but as a temporary home.
If you wanted to understand whether Australia’s promise matches reality, they would be among the best people to ask.
Which is why another recent conversation left me troubled.
Several students told me they increasingly feel unwelcome. Not because of anything that has happened on campus, but because of the broader national conversation. They hear politicians talk about international students in the context of migration pressures, housing shortages and cost-of-living challenges. They see sensationalist headlines suggesting they are part of the problem. Some told me they now feel targeted. A few said they no longer feel as safe as they once did.
Let’s be clear. Australia absolutely needs a serious discussion about housing, migration settings, infrastructure and the long-term sustainability of international education. But there’s a difference between debating policy and defining people as the problem.
When political leaders repeatedly frame international students as contributors to national pressures, we should not be surprised if those students begin to wonder whether they are still welcome here.
And we should not be surprised if the rest of the world notices.
Every graduate returning to Shanghai, Mumbai, Jakarta, Hanoi or Tokyo becomes a storyteller for Australia. They will tell colleagues, friends and family what the country was really like. Not the version shown in tourism advertisements, but the one they experienced themselves.
Those stories matter.
International students have historically been one of Australia’s greatest soft-power success stories. They return home with personal connections, professional networks and lived experience of Australian society.
Yet we rarely discuss what happens when those experiences begin to sour.
There is little value in spending millions promoting Australia as welcoming if the people who accepted that invitation increasingly feel otherwise. At some point the gap between promise and reality becomes a reputational risk.
That’s why I believe this is not just an issue for universities. It is not just an issue for immigration policy. It is also a question for Tourism Australia – whose role it is to build and protect Brand Australia in international markets, what role should it play when the lived experience of hundreds of thousands of international students risks undermining the very attributes of Australia it works so hard to promote? Brand Australia cannot simply be a promise we make to people before they arrive; it must also be reflected in how we treat them once they are here.
Across Australia, our universities and colleges want international students not only to receive an outstanding education, but to experience the genuine sense of welcome that we believe represents Australian hospitality at its best. As a sector, we must continue to welcome them, support them and make them feel at home in Australia. Because one day they will leave us. They will return home with their qualifications, their friendships, their memories—and their stories about this country. If we get their experience right, they may leave Australia, but Australia will never really leave them.
The question we should ask is simple: what story do we want international students to take home?
Do we want them to remember a country that welcomed them, invested in them and made them feel part of the community? Or a country that talked endlessly about the value they brought until political circumstances changed?
One story strengthens Australia’s standing in the world. The other weakens it. International students will eventually leave. The real question is what they will say about us when they do.
Professor Simon Pawson is Dean of School, Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School at Torrens University Australia.
