International students considering Australia can breathe a sigh of relief as the nation’s two principal political parties have united to block the government’s initiative aimed at reducing the number of international student enrollments at universities across the country.

The Labor government had proposed a limit on the number of new international student enrollments for the upcoming year, capping it at 270,000. This legislation required support from other parties in the Senate to be enacted.

However, with only two weeks remaining in the parliamentary session before the 1 January 2025 implementation date, both the opposition Coalition and the Greens unequivocally opposed what they termed a “chaotic and confused” bill that would empower the education minister to impose caps on international student numbers.

The Coalition, a coalition of center-right parties including the Liberal Party and the National Party, along with the Greens—Australia’s third-largest political faction known for its left-leaning and environmentally focused agenda—have raised significant concerns. The ruling Labor Party holds a slim majority in the House of Representatives but commands only about a third of Senate seats.

On Monday, 18 November, both the Coalition and the Greens issued statements expressing their opposition simultaneously.

“The proposed cap within the education bill will not adequately address this issue,” stated Sarah Henderson, shadow minister for education, alongside shadow ministers James Paterson and Dan Tehan for home affairs and immigration, respectively.

The Coalition criticized the Labor government for exacerbating the housing crisis and creating unprecedented turmoil within the international education sector by initially allowing international student enrollments to surge from 474,493 in May 2022 to over 800,000 currently.

They argued that the proposed caps were a misguided attempt to limit migration and asserted that Labor’s strategy fails to tackle the underlying issues.

“We cannot endorse measures that merely serve to deepen a crisis that has been created by this government. Given their track record thus far, we have no confidence that they can rectify their immigration challenges,” remarked the Coalition.

Conversely, the Greens party, which has consistently opposed any caps, labeled the proposal as “reckless and chaotic.” Mehreen Faruqi, deputy leader of the Australian Greens and spokesperson for higher education, welcomed the Coalition's alignment against the bill, emphasizing that it would ultimately hinder the government’s ability to enact it.

“This is a victory for the tertiary sector. It is a triumph for staff within that sector. Most importantly, it is a win for international students who have been unjustly blamed and targeted by the Labor government,” she stated.

The Greens contended that imposing caps on international student enrollments would not only damage international students but also tarnish Australia’s reputation while leading to substantial job losses and economic setbacks.

What are the likely implications now?

The robust opposition from both parties has evidently unsettled Education Minister Justin Clare, who expressed surprise at their coalition against his proposal.

“Over the coming months, Peter Dutton [the opposition leader] will traverse the country attempting to project strength on immigration,” he remarked.

The proposed legislation would have granted Clare extensive powers to impose caps on international student enrollments. It is crucial to note that both the Greens and Coalition hold a majority in the Senate, preventing Labor from advancing legislation in its current form.

According to Andrew Norton, an education expert and professor at Australian National University, it appears unlikely that Labor will be able to revoke Ministerial Direction 107—a directive established by former Home Affairs Minister Clare O’Neil in December 2023 concerning student visa application processing.

This directive prioritizes visa processing based on risk assessments of educational providers and students' countries of citizenship.

“Ministerial Direction 107 is widely criticized among international education providers who attribute declining student numbers and revenues in 2024 to it,” Norton noted in a commentary for The Conversation.

“While this direction undoubtedly delays visa processing for higher-risk providers, its consequences are intertwined with various other changes to visa policies since late 2023,” he explained.

Expressing frustration over the politicization of this issue, several leading university bodies in Australia expressed relief at the Coalition's opposition to capping enrollments.

Vicki Thomson, Chief Executive of Group of Eight (Go8), lamented that international students have become scapegoats in a politically charged migration debate.

In her statement on Monday, she remarked: “A bill intended to eliminate untrustworthy providers has evolved into a genuine threat to Australia’s most successful service export—international education—valued at USD 51 billion.”

“While there is undoubtedly a need for discussions on managing this sector moving forward—including timely and equitable visa processing procedures for international students—we must also acknowledge how we arrived at this juncture,” she added.

Luke Sheehy, Chief Executive of Universities Australia, asserted that attributing blame for housing issues and migration challenges to international students is fundamentally misguided. He urged both political factions to consider whether they wish to invest in future growth or continue engaging in this disingenuous conflict leading up to elections.

With the bill still pending before parliament, some universities have commenced 2025 enrollments while others have paused international student applications or established waitlists to avoid exceeding provided indicative caps, as reported by ABC News.

“Labor aimed to revert temporary migration figures back to pre-pandemic levels while cracking down on unscrupulous educational providers by limiting new international student enrollments to 270,000 next year,” ABC noted.

“Both major parties have expressed intentions to lower net overseas migration figures—including those pertaining to international students. The government anticipates a figure of 260,000 for this financial year, whereas Opposition Leader Peter Dutton has indicated his party's goal of approximately 160,000,” ABC concluded.