Earlier this week, the federal government announced capping international student numbers to 279,000 for next year's enrolments, with no promise of extra funding. For a uni town like Canberra, universities across the capital are trying to grapple with how this will impact their communities. And it's not just international students that are concerned, but also staff and domestic students.
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00:00When Ananya moved to Canberra from India almost three years ago, she was excited to come to
00:07a country that seemed to embrace international students.
00:11But recent decisions, like the cap on international student numbers, makes her feel like she's
00:17not welcome.
00:18It has always shown its global image as a country with its open arms and it seems like
00:23it's closing its arms in front of us.
00:25She thinks the announcement will impact how Australia is viewed in the global market.
00:31Is Australia actually a student-friendly country anymore or not?
00:34But it's not just international students that are trying to grapple with the decision.
00:39The Australian National University says it's a significant announcement for their community,
00:45though they don't plan to rescind any existing 2025 offers.
00:49The University of Canberra says they're still making considerations before commenting further.
00:55Australia has a reputation as a world-class destination for international students to
01:00study.
01:01But unions are worried that caps on student numbers could lead to job losses in the sector.
01:06Fees paid by international students are the second largest source of income for universities.
01:12We think university managers over time have seen university students from overseas as
01:16cash cows.
01:17The National Tertiary Education Union says universities in Canberra are already running
01:23at a financial loss.
01:25Last year, the ANU revealed they were $27 million deeper in the red than expected.
01:32At the University of Canberra, they've recently announced a deficit that's $10 million worse
01:37than expected.
01:38Without extra government funding, the union says tertiary institutions are now being forced
01:44to look at alternatives.
01:46The fear is that university staff jobs will be compromised in the process.
01:52Our staff, our members are sick of being the punching bags basically that whenever there's
01:56a financial headwind, it's jobs that have got to go.
01:59Student advocates are worried what it will all mean for the education of the students.
02:04When you cut staff, that means less available teachers to run courses, to teach subjects
02:10and that means both domestic and international students are going to receive a lower quality
02:15of education.
02:17Facing an uncertain future.