Australians will experience lower standards of living if the nation’s universities continue to fall behind international standards, the sector’s peak body has warned.
With public funding already reducing, universities face possible financial difficulty, as the federal government restricts international student arrivals.
Universities Australia Chair and Uni SA Vice Chancellor David Lloyd says it would be economically self-destructive for the government to continue restricting the higher education sector.
He also said cutting international student numbers will further reduce the ability of tertiary institutions to deliver productivity-boosting research, and the ability to train Australia’s next generation of high-skill workers.