The Group of Eight

The Group of Eight CE Vicki Thomson told Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) News that the loss of revenue resulting from the planned international student caps - the legislation for which is expected to be debated again in the Senate next week - will have widespread economic impacts. "There's no doubt that when you start having to cut budgets by magnitudes of hundreds of millions of dollars, that has an impact on any business … but what we want to do is ensure that student experience is absolutely maintained," Ms Thomson said. She told Jade Toomey that each international student was responsible for a million dollars to the economy. "Whether it's housing, rents, cafes, pubs, clubs ... you take that out of the economy, that has a significant impact, particularly for our small business, our tourism sector, because families come and visit, so the knock-on effect is significant," she said. Full story here: https://lnkd.in/gH5cH5ZC #HigherEducation #internationalstudents #internationaleducation

The Group of Eight is astounded that with potentially just seven weeks until caps are placed on international student numbers, under questioning from Senator David Pocock in Senate Estimates this week, Treasury admitted that it STILL hasn’t modelled the economic impact of the caps on Australia’s $50 billion international education sector and hence the broader economy. This is despite the RBA issuing a 'watching brief' on the impact, ratings agency Standard and Poor's reporting that if the legislation is enacted it will "choke funding for research" and "could erode the financial performance and credit quality" of our universities and a host of respected economists warning that the proposed caps could push Australia into recession and will be "dramatically bad for the economy." The Go8 urges the Senate to reject the international student caps for the damage they will do to the sector and the nation. Vicki Thomson Commonwealth Treasury Jason Clare MP Australian Government Department of Education International Education Association of Australia (IEAA) #HigherEducation #internationalstudents #internationaleducation

Congratulations on your appointment as Australia’s Ambassador to France (designate) Lynette Wood. The Group of Eight universities have deep and longstanding partnerships and connections with our French counterparts. As we commemorate the 80th anniversary of French Australian diplomatic relations, it's worth noting the strong research partnerships we have built over that time with The Group of Eight researchers responsible for around 64 per cent of all Australia-France co-publications. We are also co-designers of the Nicolas Baudin Travel Grant, a research mobility programme between Australia and France. Looking forward to continuing to work with you to build from that strong base. FACCI - French-Australian Chamber of Commerce & Industry Pierre-Andre Imbert Francois Romanet Cybèle Panagiotou The Embassy of France to Australia Grégory Cornillon Sorbonne Université Udice - French Research Universities League of European Research Universities (LERU) Nathalie DRACH-TEMAM Axel Leisenberg Monash University The University of Western Australia University of Melbourne University of Sydney The Australian National University The University of Queensland UNSW University of Adelaide Nicolas Duhaut, PhD

Congratulations to the researchers from all The Group of Eight universities who have received funding of almost $14 million (from a total pool of $29.9 million) from the Australian Research Council’s (ARC) Linkage Project scheme 2024 Round 1. Go8 university teams have been granted funding under the scheme for 25 projects. The ARC Linkage Project scheme promotes national and international partnerships between researchers and business, industry, community organisations and other publicly funded research agencies. The funding supports projects that initiate or develop long term research alliances to identify innovative solutions to domestic and global challenges and acquire new knowledge. Read more about the projects and the ARC fund here: https://lnkd.in/ggmsg6ZR Vicki Thomson Matthew Brown

The Group of Eight CE Vicki Thomson last night sounded a word of caution about the future of international education in a briefing on the Government’s ESOS Amendment Bill - which will allow for the capping of international student numbers in Australia – to our sister organisation in the UK, The Russell Group of Universities. The Russell Group had requested the briefing as part of their International Forum - which brings together Pro Vice Chancellors International and Directors International from the 24 Research-Intensive UK universities represented by the Russell Group – to understand the motivations and environment that has led Australia to become seemingly unfriendly to international education. Dr Sally Nimon Tim Bradshaw Ben Moore Rachel Sandison OBE (FCIM) University of Glasgow #HigherEducation #internationalstudents #internationaleducation

The Sydney Morning Herald editorial today comes out in strong defence of the Government’s plan announced last weekend to reduce student debt. Bevan Shields points out that five years ago, one in 14 outstanding Higher Education Loan Program (previously HECS) loans was over $50,00, but today it’s one in seven. He also notes that the previous government’s Job Ready Graduates Scheme introduced in 2021 has "virtually guaranteed the number with debts above $50,000 will keep rising”. The Group of Eight agrees that any measure which provides financial relief, however small, for our graduates is welcome. But a one-off 20% debt reduction does not replace the flawed policy that is the Job Ready Graduates scheme, which has been a total failure with increasing debt levels baked in for our students in 2025. We need a university funding model that ensures our domestic students are treated fairly and equitably when it comes to financing and student debt arrangements. https://lnkd.in/giiYJj4P Vicki Thomson #HigherEducation

Today we celebrate six sensational ANU academics being honoured for making the world a better place. 👏 Distinguished Professor Genevieve Bell and Professors Andrew Blakers, Alex Brown, Paul Burke, Ray Lovett and Helen Sullivan are being honoured by some of the country’s leading independent academies of experts, having been elected as Fellows for their trailblazing work. The group is tackling some of the world’s most pressing issues in areas as diverse as solar technology, Indigenous health and economics – with their developments starting at ANU and spreading across the globe. 🌍 Read more here: https://brnw.ch/21wOoTl

The Group of Eight CE Vicki Thomson has told The Australian that although any measure that provides financial relief for graduates, “be they doctors, teachers or nurses, is of course welcome,” the Government’s announced plan to cut student debt by 20% “fails to address the root cause of the burgeoning debt and that is the incoherent and flawed Job Ready Graduate Scheme”. “A one-off 20 per cent debt reduction does not replace a flawed policy,” she said, “It has been a total failure with increasing debt levels baked in for our students in 2025. We need a university funding model that ensures our domestic students are treated fairly and equitably when it comes to financing and student debt arrangements.” https://lnkd.in/gavrhumf Jason Clare MP #HigherEducation

Any measure which provides financial relief, however small, for our graduates – be they doctors, teachers or nurses – is welcome but it fails to address the root cause of burgeoning student debt and that is the incoherent and flawed Job Ready Graduate Scheme. The government has committed to revisit the cost of a degree as a first priority for the Australian Tertiary Education Commission. With legislation to establish the ATEC still to be introduced into Federal Parliament it has never been more urgent so that we can ensure our students are not burdened with heavy debt levels which are disproportionate in some cases to the cost of teaching. The Group of Eight Unis call for more than just debt relief https://lnkd.in/g9bPT97S

Huge congratulations to Monash University Chief and The Group of Eight Board Director Sharon Pickering on her appointment to the inaugural Advisory Board of the ASEAN-Australia Centre. Our universities are deeply engaged in the region. Our research and education partnerships have strongly underpinned the development of the ASEAN-Australian relationship and regional collaboration over the last five decades. They will play an even more vital role in the next 50 years where knowledge, skills and capabilities are most needed. As well as the annual Go8-ASEAN Heads of Mission dialogue, our universities host 40% of all ASEAN higher education enrolments in Australia and we represent more than 60% of all Australia co-publications with ASEAN States. Monash University Malaysia Monash University, Indonesia Australia-ASEAN Academics Forum Senator Penny Wong DFAT https://lnkd.in/gf48dsGH