The University of Tasmania insists it's still pushing ahead with its contentious move into Hobart’s CBD, even as it grapples with a drop in international students and a need to reduce costs. The university is also contending with uncertainty about where a vital new academic facility will be built and who will fund it.
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00:00Shan Yu moved to Hobart from Taiwan to study for a Master's in Business Administration.
00:08I really prefer the weather and the people here because people are really friendly in
00:13Tassie.
00:14But she says a proposed federal government cap on the number of international students
00:18has her friends worried they won't be able to do the same.
00:22They are pretty worried about if they could apply for the visa before the new legislation
00:31starts.
00:32The University of Tasmania is tightening its belt ahead of the change.
00:37When we've had a big loss of international students, we've got to manage our costs really
00:40carefully to get through that period.
00:44And while it's consulting staff about a hiring pause.
00:48When you're choosing between slowing down recruitment or redundancies, many universities
00:53are choosing the redundancy path, we're not.
00:56It says it's still pushing ahead with a move into the Hobart CBD.
01:02But we'll listen to staff about whether a new science, technology, engineering and maths
01:06building should be at Sandy Bay instead of in the city.
01:10They are the ones best positioned to be able to provide advice as to what the right facilities
01:14are.
01:15We will completely respect where they get to.
01:18Recently the government's taken a tougher line on the university city move, promising
01:22during the election to block any sale of the Sandy Bay campus.
01:26And last month saying it wants the STEM facility built at Sandy Bay.
01:30Today it was much more circumspect.
01:32We'll do everything we can to support federal investment into the University of Tasmania
01:38for newer and improved facilities to support course offerings, particularly in those areas
01:43of workforce demand.
01:45A university with a clouded future.