Coalition pledges crackdown on overseas students

“The Coalition would crack down even more on visa-hopping international students and would introduce social-media vetting for applicants, Opposition Leader Angus Taylor announced on Tuesday. The first part of his ‘Australian values’ migration plan would “discriminate based on values,” he said. It would include an ‘enhanced screening coordination centre’ to catch “terrorist sympathisers and security risks before they come to Australia.” Migrant and refugee applications would also be screened using social media, similar to US President Donald Trump's policy . “Some 65,000 people remain here despite their student or protection visas being cancelled and despite having exhausted all avenues for appeal,” he said. “Our immigration system is being exploited by people using the pretext of needing protection to stay here for economic reasons.” ‘Overstayers’ would be dealt with through a safe country list to end “frivolous” protection claims, Mr Taylor said. Countries on that list would be those deemed generally free from persecution so applications from those citizens would be denied. Fifty per cent of the University of Sydney students are international students. Picture: iStock/Kokkai Ng. “If a citizen of Australia, a safe country, applies for a refugee and humanitarian visa from outside Australia, it will be assumed to be inadmissible,” he said. “And if a citizen of a safe country is in Australia and makes a protection claim, their application can be expected to be refused and their deportation fast-tracked.” Mr Taylor said international students are a key category driving migration and housing pressure, and should not make up half of Australian university classrooms. More on this story: Go8 defends 50% overseas student cohort | Framework to shape international education | Australia poised to poach US students, academics “It ’ s eroded the educational experience for domestic Australian students. It ’ s most prevalent amongst the [Group of Eight],” he said. “They want to make a bit more money, but if they ’ re eroding the product for domestic students, then it needs to be fixed.” Mr Taylor indicated more policies regarding overseas students would be revealed in the coming months. The Labor government has reduced the number of international students studying at Australian universities to ease pressure on housing and rental markets. It cracked down on visa hopping students who re-apply for studies or change their course to stay in Australia longer, by labelling them as high-risk students and forcing slower and more complicated visa processes. Dr Lausberg said Australia has 134,000 student‑only beds, with 40,000 more in development. Picture: Supplied. Student Accommodation Council executive director Adele Lausberg urged governments not to interchange international students with other migration streams, especially when discussing housing affordability. “International students are temporary visitors, and in Australia many live in purpose‑built student accommodation that has been deliberately designed to keep student demand out of the private rental market,” Dr Lausberg said. “That context matters, particularly when students are increasingly housed in accommodation built specifically for them, rather than competing with local renters.” She said Australia has 134,000 student‑only beds, with 40,000 more in development. Mr Taylor ’ s announcement has been labelled divisive and an attempt to get voters to return to the Coalition after they switched to One Nation in the recent South Australian state election. “Our door has been open to people who, while rejecting hate and violence, nevertheless still reject our core values. People who don ’ t believe in equal rights for men and women. People who don ’ t believe in the rule of law and want to establish parallel legal systems,” he said. “People who don ’ t believe in freedom of speech, association, and religion. And in recent times, of course, that has included Islamist extremists ... Those who migrate from liberal democracies have a greater likelihood of subscribing to Australian values compared to those coming from other places ruled by fundamentalists, extremists and dictators.”

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