Topics: International students;
08:35AM ACST
8 August 2024
David Bevan: Let’s go to Simon Birmingham. He’s the Leader of the Opposition, the Coalition, in the Senate. And he joins us now. Long time watcher of the university sector here in South Australia. Good morning, Senator Birmingham.
Simon Birmingham: Good morning, David. Good to be with you.
David Bevan: What do you think is going on?
Simon Birmingham: Well, I’ve got to say I agree with a lot of what Susan Close had to say, along with elements of Vicky Thomson. There are real issues that the federal government has mismanaged and is seeking to address, and they come into two parts. One is the overall population pressure, which has seen a huge surge and particularly has put pressure on the housing sector, on infrastructure in the big east coast cities and has yielded a real reaction from those communities, understandably so. Then amongst that, there is also the social license question, where a couple of universities have been reaching reports of 50% or more international students, largely from the Chinese market solely. And that I think, is testing the social licence as to whether that is getting to be too many in one institution and tilting the balance of those institutions. So, they’re the drivers as to why they’re acting. But what they’ve done is really crude. They’re seeking the most sweeping powers for the minister to be able to intervene, and they’re applying it in the most haphazard way without any type of guarantees or information. For states like South Australia, where these problems aren’t as real or acute, and where they should be able to actually give clear answers and guarantees to our university sector, rather than simply having the Sword of Damocles hanging over the universities, that the minister is going to get these huge powers with universities not knowing how they’ll be used.
David Bevan: Simon Birmingham, thanks for your time.
[ENDS]