Simon Birmingham (SA, Liberal Party, Assistant Minister for Education and Training) Share this | Hansard source

I thank Senator Edwards for that very important question about our international education sector. International education provides life-changing opportunities for students who come to Australia, especially from within our region, often from poorer nations, to study here. It is not only life changing for them, it is hugely important for Australia and for the Australian economy. International education is our largest non-resources export industry and our third, or sometimes fourth, export industry overall. Around $17 billion in wealth is generated for the Australian economy annually as a result of the international education sector. It supports around 130,000 jobs as students study in our universities and schools, with our vocational education and training providers and with our English language providers, across every state and territory right around Australia and across so many local government areas. I acknowledge the Mayor of the City of Playford, Glenn Docherty, who is in the chamber today. I am sure Playford is one of the many areas that benefits from international education.

International education adds greatly to our culture and it also enriches the experience Australian domestic students have and their opportunities to build a better understanding of the region in which they will work and build businesses in the future. Under the previous government there was a collapse in international education, because of poor policy changes. Around $4 billion per annum was lost in relation to annual income in international education. It stands to their shame that in another area like this they got the policies wrong and Australia's wealth declined as result.

I am pleased to say that our policies are working. Today we have seen the latest student enrolment data revealed, and there are more international students enrolled in Australia than ever before. Every single sector is up. We have delivered policies that have turned around the collapse that Labor brought into this sector.