Australia International Education, Immigration and Student Problems

[connaust]

Australia International Education and Student Problems

 

Addressing Australia’s international student crisis. One of Australia’s leading educators has called on the recently elected Labour Government to make a firm commitment to the country’s international education industry. Hospitality Training Association (HTA) CEO Phillip Charlton says the Australian economy could lose billions of dollars if Julia Gillard’s government fails to counteract immigration policy changes that have left the industry in turmoil.

 

International Student Visa applications and approvals in Australia have fallen sharply in 2010, with the Australian Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) reporting a 30 percent decline in international applications….

 

 

….“And as we have now seen the Australian election focused very heavily around immigration and border security which resulted in mixed messages and public confusion as there was no differentiation between migrants, boatpeople, refugees and international students.”

[Petals]

For me I have no problem with the students coming and getting educated but I do not believe that this should lead them to believe they have a right to stay here long term. We have to look after the Australian graduates first and there are a lot of them struggling to get a job these days. Law is down by the head with students. Before I left work in 2004 the Law Institute Journal had an article saying their were more law students in universities studying law than the whole legal work force in Australia. I guess there are even more now.

 

The unis are worried about the money but we should not expect them to rely on international students fees to fund our tertiary education system, a country such as ours should fund it.