The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) has called for the federal government to guarantee its decision to cap international student numbers will not result in job losses.
The government announced today it plans to cap international student levels at 270,000 for the next calendar year.
An NTEU petition calling on the federal government to guarantee all university jobs has been signed by thousands of staff nationwide.
NTEU National President Dr Alison Barnes called on Education Minister Jason Clare to guarantee all jobs would be safe.
"Job cuts are a red line for the NTEU," she said.
"We know too many vice-chancellors' instinctive reaction to any policy change is cutting the staff which deliver the world-class teaching and research that is the critical selling point for international students.
"It's clear now that some of the numbers thrown around by university leaders in recent months were simply part of an unfair scare campaign with no regard for staff welfare.
"The federal government must ensure university bosses don't use these changes as an excuse to cut jobs from an already stretched workforce.
"Job cuts at a time when universities have been chronically underfunded for a decade would be devastating for the government's goal for 80 per cent of the population to have a tertiary qualification by 2050.
"University staff are the critical ingredient in delivering a better higher education system for students and society as a whole."
