The Albanese government is shying away from a Canadian-style hard cap on foreign student numbers and will opt for more nuanced measures, in an attempt to avoid causing long-term damage to a crucial export industry, sources say., the government is also mindful about harming what is the country’s largest export market after commodities, in return for a short-term political fix.
“The concept of sustainable management or measured growth is a style of cap, just more generous,” said an industry source who asked not to be named.Certificates of Enrolment that govern how many foreign student spots individual institutions can offer can be “adjusted”. Other options include requiring universities to build more student accommodation in return for “measured growth” in overseas students.
It said international students make up only 4 per cent of Australia’s rental market and the bigger problem was caused by a post-pandemic increase in smaller and one-person households, intrastate migration and a trend to repurposing second bedrooms into home offices. “This is especially important at the moment given the uncertainty over commodity prices,” said a source familiar with deliberations.