Migration debate pushing Asian students away, UTAS vice-chancellor warns
Australia's migration debate is harming the country's reputation in Asia, warns University of Tasmania vice-chancellor Rufus Black.
Australia's national migration debate is damaging the country's reputation in Asia, the University of Tasmania's vice-chancellor has warned. Rufus Black told a state parliament inquiry in Hobart that cutting immigration talk is creating a generation of Asian students who see Australia as closed, fearful and racist.
Such talk harms international relations and the nation's long-term standing in the region. The Coalition opposition plans to slash international student numbers from the current cap of 295,000 to 240,000 per year.
One Nation proposes an even deeper cut to 100,000 students annually. Research-intensive universities rely on international students for about 40 per cent of funding.
Major cuts would cause thousands of job losses across higher education and remove vital research funding with no clear alternative source.
- 295,000 per year
- Current student cap
- 240,000 per year
- Coalition proposed cap
- 100,000 per year
- One Nation proposal
- 40 per cent
- University funding from intl students
Why it mattersAustralia's ability to attract the brightest students and fund university research is at stake, with long-term consequences for the economy and international relationships.
AustraliaAustralian universities face potential funding crisis if proposed opposition and One Nation policies on student caps are implemented, affecting research and employment across the country.
✓ Claims checked against the source and corrected before publish. checked 3 h ago
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