Murray Watt (Queensland, Australian Labor Party, Minister for Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry) Share this | Hansard source

Thanks, Senator Bilyk. I know you're a very strong supporter of the international education industry in your home state of Tasmania and right around the country. A strong international education sector is an important contributor to the Australian economy. It's in fact the biggest export that we don't dig out of the ground. But of course this industry was absolutely smashed by COVID. In 2019 international education contributed over $40 billion to the Australian economy and supported over 250,000 jobs. The pandemic saw that fall to $20.8 billion in 2021-22, so it nearly halved.

International education has recently returned to being Australia's fourth biggest export industry, now worth $25.5 billion, but obviously there's still a very large gap to where we were before COVID-19 came along. International education also plays a role in filling Australia's skill needs, with high-quality graduates trained to Australian standards. Our government's work to reduce the visa backlog—another mess we inherited from the former government—and increase post-study work rights will help attract the best and brightest to Australian shores. International students are starting to come back and that's a very good thing, but there is a lot more work to be done here. That's why the work that the Minister for Education Jason Clare has done, and the Prime Minister is doing in India right now, is so important.

International education directly progresses Australia's interests in a stable and prosperous future for our region. The deep and enduring connections that result from international students studying and living in Australia brings more than revenue; it builds us friends in the region and beyond. International students help to strengthen Australia's international relationships. They are an invaluable part of Australian communities, bringing new perspectives, ideas and skills to enrich the cultural fabric of our society. Education plays a key role in building cultural diversity and people-to-people links around the world. It also ensures regional stability. They're some of the many reasons why our government is supporting it. (Time expired)