As detailed by the paywall article at the mighty:
https://www.macrobusiness.com.au/2025/02/international-student-numbers-hit-new-high/
international student numbers at Australia's universities hit another record for 2024. In early 2025, Australia finds itself grappling with a paradox: despite a widely publicised government "crackdown" on international student inflows, the numbers have surged to an unprecedented high. Far from curbing the tide, newly released data reveals that international student enrolments reached 1,081,300 as of November 2024—a staggering 12.5 percent increase, or 120,454 more students, compared to the previous record set in 2023. Over the past decade, enrolments have ballooned by 70 percent, adding 444,156 students since 2015. These figures, sourced from the Department of Education, paint a clear picture: the policies introduced in 2024 to tighten visa rules and reduce net overseas migration have failed spectacularly. What was billed as a decisive clampdown has instead given way to yet another milestone in Australia's unchecked reliance on international education.
The so-called crackdown emerged from a pressing need to address the strain of high migration on housing and rental markets, a concern that has fuelled public discontent in recent years. In 2024, the Albanese government rolled out a suite of measures: stricter English language requirements, higher visa fees, and tougher scrutiny of applications. The intent was clear—reduce the influx of students, who often stay beyond their studies thanks to generous work rights and pathways to permanent residency, and thereby ease pressure on infrastructure. Yet, the data tells a different story. Not only have enrolments soared, but commencements have also hit new highs, suggesting that the pipeline of incoming students remains robust. One might point to minor successes, such as a dip in offshore visa applications noted in related reports, but these pale against the overwhelming evidence of policy failure. Loopholes, such as appeals to the Administrative Appeals Tribunal that prolong student stays, may partly explain this disconnect. Whatever the cause, the government's forecasts of declining net migration for 2023-24 now ring hollow.
The implications of this surge are multifaceted. Economically, the news is a boon for the traitorous universities and the education export sector, one of Australia's largest Ponzi schemes, which thrives on the steady stream of international tuition fees. But this comes at a cost. The influx exacerbates housing shortages, driving up rents and fuelling a narrative of a migration system spiralling out of control—a narrative that Macrobusiness has long critiqued as a kind of national "Ponzi scheme." Socially and politically, the stakes are even higher. Polls, often cited in outlets like this one, reflect growing frustration among Australians over high migration levels, putting pressure on the Albanese government to deliver results ahead of the next election cycle. Within the education sector itself, the reliance on foreign students raises questions about sustainability. Are universities prioritising revenue over quality, tethered to a model that invites ever more students regardless of broader consequences? The answer is clearly: yes!
The critique here is sharp and uncompromising. Leith van Onselen,has a track record of skewering government incompetence and institutional overreach. The article's tone suggests a deep scepticism—not just of the crackdown's execution, but of its sincerity. Was it ever more than political theatre, a gesture to appease voters while preserving the lucrative status quo? The numbers speak for themselves: a 12.5 percent increase in enrolments is not the hallmark of a system under restraint. Beyond the data, the piece likely probes deeper, questioning why Australia clings to a model that ties education to migration in ways that defy control? Generous post-study work rights and residency incentives remain powerful magnets, undermining any attempt at moderation.
In the end, the record-breaking 1,081,300 international students enrolled as of November 2024 stand as a testament to a failed policy. The crackdown, for all its fanfare, has done little to stem the tide, leaving Australia at a crossroads. If the government is serious about managing migration and its ripple effects, half-measures won't suffice. Hard caps on student visas, rather than symbolic tweaks, might be the only way forward. Alternatively, this latest milestone could be embraced as evidence that the system isn't broken—at least not for those who profit from it. For now, the question lingers: what crackdown? The numbers, climbing ever higher, offer no answer, only a challenge to rethink a policy that has so clearly lost its grip. And Aussies suffer.