E&OE

ADAM STEER: So, the Federal Labor Government has found itself in a bit of a quagmire at the moment. They had planned to cap overseas university numbers after pressure from the states relating those overseas student numbers to the housing crisis, which is particularly acute in the metro cities down south. Luke Sheehy from Universities Australia is in town at the moment. Luke, good day. Is this good news or bad news that the opposition is saying no, we are not going to support the cap on overseas students?

LUKE SHEEHY: Well, good to be with you Adam and I can attest it’s absolutely freezing in here. So, I have obviously brought the Canberra weather with me, but it is great to be back in Darwin to visit our colleagues at Charles Darwin University who do an amazing job on behalf of not only the territory but on behalf of the country. What I said the other day is when the Coalition said that they would block the caps proposed by the Labor government, that continues a phony war about the role of international students, housing and the other pressures associated with that phony war coming into the election. And that’s true and we are seeing that already from the leader of the opposition today. What we want for this sector, and what I am sure people at Charles Darwin University want and people in the territory want, is a robust and growing university sector that helps drive the economy of our local areas and also helps with population and ensures that we have talented people to deliver the things that we need into the future for this country. International students are a really important part of what we do at our universities. Not only do they fund our universities, but they help create a really positive relationship with our world.

ADAM STEER: When you say it’s a phony war, we even have a housing shortage crisis here in Darwin, although it’s a little less acute than it is in places like Sydney or Melbourne. When you say it’s a phony war, what do you mean by that?

LUKE SHEEHY: Well, the Reserve Bank has told us that the housing crisis in Australia is a construction and supply issue and that blaming the entire problem of the housing supply on international students is just plainly false. We know that international students make up only about six per cent of the private rental market in Australia. So, 90 something plus per cent of the rest of the rental market in Australia is not international students and we need to build more houses for Australians, and we shouldn’t be undermining a world-class sector like international education while we are doing it.

ADAM STEER: Charles Darwin University has just opened its brand new CBD campus. It costs $250 million, $150 million of that is a loan basically through NAIF from the federal government. It was designed to encourage overseas students coming into Darwin and at the same time the government then says, oh by the way, we are capping numbers. You can see and understand some of the frustration that Charles Darwin University would be feeling at the moment.

LUKE SHEEHY: Well, not only that, this is a beautiful asset for the people of the territory and I was lucky to go and see it yesterday and have a chat with my old friend, Vice-Chancellor Scott Bowman, and you are right, he is right. The university was induced to build that beautiful facility for the people of Darwin with the idea that it would grow international student numbers to be able to pay for it and unfortunately, they are not able to do it. Adam, the attack on international students, not just about the capping bill, it’s actually been happening all year. So since just before Christmas last year, the previous home affairs minister Claire O’Neil took a sledgehammer to the international student system by slowing down visa processing and that disproportionately impacted universities in our regions, particularly those that had a diverse catchment and source country for international students.

ADAM STEER: In saying that though I have got friends who are tutors and lectures in some of those southern universities who have alleged firsthand that they are then, say for example, they are tutoring in journalism and a lot of those students cannot speak English and are replying through Google Translate to try and answer the questions. That would seem that in some cases there is an incorrect and false overseas student industry operating within the tertiary sector.

LUKE SHEEHY: Well, you would expect me to say this Adam, but this is a world-class sector that has rigorous standards, particularly when it comes to English language requirements, which are a requirement of visa entry into this country and it has served this country unbelievably well, not only for our universities where it funds essential teaching activities that support Australians, but also supports our economy. Last year, the National Australia Bank told us that half of the economic growth in Australia was driven by this important sector. We know you need growth up here in terms of economic growth and also population growth. You can’t do it without a thriving international education sector. And that’s why I am here today.

ADAM STEER: Very briefly, Luke, what are you doing over the next day or two here in the top end of the Northern Territory?

LUKE SHEEHY: Well, I am checking out that fabulous new campus, which I have already talked about and I am going to go talk to some of the amazing students and of course the academics at the great Charles Darwin University who do such terrific work. Yesterday, we were talking about First nations and Indigenous languages. We are obviously going to look at the support they provide for health and other key sectors in this important part of the world. And as I am here as well, of course I would like to make a donation to the food bank. So, if you would like me to do that, I am more than happy to.

ADAM STEER: Yeah, please go ahead.

LUKE SHEEHY: So, I am Luke Sheehy, the Chief Executive Officer of Universities Australia and I will donate $200 to the Food Bank.

ADAM STEER: Thank you so much Luke, and thank you so much for coming in. I do apologise about the Icelandic conditions of this studio, the best of luck today. Love to hear from you again in a couple of weeks once you have come out being in the top end to see what you have discovered here.

LUKE SHEEHY: And hopefully, you can get a little bit warmer weather, and it is less Canberra conditions in here. It’s so cold.

ADAM STEER: Thank you, Luke. We will talk again soon. There’s Luke Sheehy from Universities Australia.

LUKE SHEEHY: Good to be with you.

ENDS