Going global makes local sense

International education was high on the agenda at the recent Australian Federal Labor Business Exchange summit.

Alex Chevrolle, Study Group’s Director of External Relations in Australia and New Zealand, attended and over the course of the two day event met one-on-one with several prominent political figures. These included Richard Marles, Deputy Prime Minister; Jason Clare, Minister for Education; Anthony Chisholm, Assistant Minister for Education; and Penny Wong, Minister for Foreign Affairs. In these meetings, he received very encouraging feedback regarding the international student market. 

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese gave a keynote address at the conference. Here he emphasised that Australia is a country built on immigration and continues to benefit from it.

The Minister for Education, Jason Clare, welcomed the huge contribution of talented international students to Australian universities and the economy, saying he said he would like to encourage more overseas graduates to live and work in the country after their studies. Currently only 16% of international students end up with permanent residence - a situation which policy makers broadly consider requires change, including a long overdue overhaul of Australia’s student visa arrangements.

 “In this and other high level meetings, I have heard a lot of positive messaging from our new government about the importance of international students to Australian society and the need for clearer immigration pathways,” said Alex.

“It’s incredibly exciting to see Australia continuing to re-open for business, and looking to the future.”