Swinburne University of Technology has today expressed serious concerns over the Federal Government's decision to pause its biannual review of Evidence Level (EL) changes, the key vehicle for the approval speed of international student visas.
The abrupt decision, made last week and only announced to the sector yesterday, has caught universities off-guard in another surprise move that will further fracture a higher education sector reeling from changes to international student numbers and inaction in response to the Australian Universities Accord.
The pause will mean that education providers who are not meeting evidence requirements for international student visas will continue to have less oversight, while those who have taken decisive action to improve their processes will be penalised.
Professor Pascale Quester, Vice-Chancellor and President of Swinburne University of Technology, said, "providers are being left in the dark around this decision making. Those doing the right thing are being ignored, while numerous institutions will be protected despite failing to demonstrate sufficient care when assessing applications for students to study in Australia."
"This is another blow for the sector and will fracture us even further, creating more uncertainty for prospective students in an anti-competitive landscape of 'haves and have-nots'," said Professor Quester.
The freeze will continue to disrupt the plans of numerous international students, who are essential to Australian society and the economy, further undermining the trust and confidence that international students place in the Australian education system.
Professor Quester observed that the optimism the sector had experienced over the past 12 months with the Universities Accord process and ongoing engagement with the sector, had been shattered.
"We had so much hope with the Universities Accord; we were excited about the potential for unity and progress," said Professor Quester. "Instead, we are now faced with knee-jerk decisions, black-box decision-making processes and unprecedented levels of uncertainty. The rationale provided for this freeze is to create more certainty, but it will instead foster division and delays."
The decision will directly impact Swinburne's ability to recruit international students into STEM courses such as engineering and IT, making it harder to meet the workforce requirements of the Federal Government's Future Made in Australia plan.
"Swinburne is striving to excel in Government priority areas like STEM, manufacturing, dual-sector education and embedding cutting-edge technology into all of our courses. Our mission to bring people and technology together aligns strongly with the plans the Government has for this country.
"This latest decision undermines our ability to deliver on these goals and adds to the immense challenges we face. We urge the Government to avoid policies that appear to simply encourage cartel-like behaviour by some universities, while preventing others from achieving their nation-building aims."
