One Nation’s proposed cuts to international student numbers united universities and other political parties on one thing – nobody likes them.
On Monday, One Nation leader Pauline Hanson released a social media video outlining the party’s proposal for three years of “net negative immigration” including reduce international student numbers to the 2015 count; a 20% headcount cut on this year.
Ms Hanson argued her policy, “will not destroy our universities.” It would grant 100,000 student visas, with an additional 15,000 visas for ‘High-value study / PhD’ students. International students would have to leave Australia immediately after completing their studies unless eligible for a graduate pathway.
Under the ON policy, graduate visas would be slashed to 20,000, with dependent/family visas for graduates cut out entirely, under the One Nation proposal. Cuts to international student and graduate visa holders would deliver the majority of One Nation’s proposed 766,000 cut to the number of immigrants on visas in Australia over their proposed three-year immigration cuts.
Pauline Hanson’s overall message is, “we should be exporting education, not selling migration.”
In response, the Group of Eight took pains to point out that all international students are not created equal.
“The reality is that not all international education is the same,” CEO Vicki Thomson said yesterday.
“ Research-intensive universities are not visa factories. They are major contributors to Australia’s research effort, innovation capability and future workforce. Policies should recognise that reality.”
Lobbies representing universities where student demand, not government quotas are the issue were not commenting. And the private training sector stayed silent – for once its members were not the target as, One Nation’s student cuts focused on universities.
It was left to Universities Australia to make the case for all, which it enthusiastically did by having a go at all political parties, except The Greens. “One Nation has joined Labor and the Coalition in a political race to the bottom on international students, revealing plans to dramatically cut student visas and do lasting damage to one of Australia’s great economic success stories.”
“Australia should be competing for the world’s best students and the skills, investment and ideas they bring – not competing to see who can drive them away fastest.”
Yesterday the Government was largely keeping quiet, but Industry and Science Minister Tim Ayres piloted the response on Radio National. When asked about the economic impact of cuts to international students and families of skilled migrants, the Minister said, “this is what happens when you do policy for social media clicks. If implemented, this would be a wrecking ball through regional economies. It would hurt the agriculture sector, it would hurt the hospitality and the aged care sectors …”
Mr Ayres added there is “more work to do” on migration, but there would be “a real human cost” to One Nation’s announcement.
Shadow Home Affairs Minister Jonno Duniam (also on RN), avoided the whole issue by criticising the absence of detail; but as to his policy Senator Duniam said it would be out in weeks. “The whole idea of bluntly cutting international education is a great headline, but the detail is where it is at,” he said.
Business, farming and industry groups have led the charge in condemning the ON plan. With the Property Council weighing in to support the position of NSW Premier Chris Minns, who called for universities to build more accommodation to reclaim social licence and reduce their political exposure.
The timing of the ON announcement is certainly critical for the future of HE. The long-running joint parliamentary committee inquiry into skilled migration is holding its ninth hearing on Friday, with Universities Australia and Group of Eight giving evidence.