By Jakir Hossain
The year 2024 was a great year for Australia as they took some serious steps to create a stronger, fairer, and more future-ready higher education system, but the progress was overshadowed a bit due to the new policy of cap on international enrolments.
As they move into 2025, they are set with some certain vision and goals regarding the education sector.
Rebuilding this sector must be a priority
said Luke Sheehy, CEO of peak body Universities Australia.
By 2050, the universities must double the number of domestic students they teach each year—from 900,000 today to 1.8 million—and this action will require great investments in teaching, research, and infrastructure.
These investments are not optional—they are the foundation of Australia’s economic and social future
said Sheehy.
It’s not unusual for universities to become targets in the time of election, but luckily in late 2024, the policy to impose a cap on international student numbers was put on hold following the Coalition opposition, and senators declared their intention to reject the government’s bill.
The Australian government must adopt a target to lift Australia’s R&D intensity to 3% of GDP by 2035
said Thomson.
Universities play a great role in progress. They are quite important in empowering local communities, supporting national resilience, and intercultural understanding. These institutions will remain key bridges in fostering local connections, national resilience, and global understanding.
On one side, higher education serves as a public good, while on the other, it is a merit good, with research heavily subsidised by international students' fees.
There are currently no signs that any major developed economy will go back to the future and fund universities through general taxation or other forms of broader support from across the innovation ecosystem (eg corporate social responsibility schemes).
This reality in turn will maintain pressure on universities to maximise revenue for future education and research investment. Political framing will mean that immigration remains a first-order political battleground
said Grant.
Universities are institutions that need to remain open to the world and to local communities
said Colin B. Grant, UNSW.