Study In Australia: Removal Of MD 107 Commonsense Decision, Says Universities Australia

Last month, Australia replaced the MD 107 with MD 111. The university sector welcomed this decision. Now, the peak education body in Australia - Universities Australia said that removal of MD 107 was a commonsense decision.

Universities Australia has now commented on replacing MD 107 with MD 111 and said that it was a commonsense decision.

Universities Australia Chief Executive Officer Luke Sheehy has said that the revoking of Ministerial Direction 107 acknowledged the uncertainty and damage it caused to the economy and universities. The education body also said that MD 107 caused severe financial pain to the industry.

Universities Australia sees the government decision as the win for all Australians which opened ways for sustainable growth of the sector.

“This is the commonsense decision that was desperately needed to deliver some of the certainty and stability our universities have been seeking,” Mr Sheehy said.  

"MD107 has wreaked havoc, stripping billions of dollars from the economy and inflicting incredibly serious financial harm on universities, particularly those in regional and outer suburban areas. We have called for it to be revoked since June and we strongly support the Albanese Government’s decision to create a more even playing field for universities. Internationalisation and international students are critically important to our economy, our society and our universities. They never deserved to be positioned as cannon fodder in a political battle over migration and housing. Declining government investment in higher education teaching and research over the last decade has meant our institutions have become necessarily reliant on international student revenue to fund core business," added Luke Sheehy.

Politics Should Be Out Of Higher Education

He also said that before the federal election, it is important to take politics out of the higher education, and the focus should be on national interest. The country needs more skilled graduates at work and also to drive progress through research and development.

“We want to work constructively with both major parties to develop revised policy options that enable our international education sector to continue delivering for the economy and universities. As a starting point, the 145,000 places allocated to universities under the National Planning Level should be used as a baseline in the development of future policies. Reducing migration should not be at the expense of any one sector, particularly not one as crucial to our economy as education. As we head toward the next federal election, our ask is simple – we need to take the politics out of higher education and focus on the national interest that flows from it," further added Luke Sheehy.

Read more:

• Australia Ministerial Direction 111: University Sector's Experts Not Pleased
• Australia’s Ministerial Direction 111 Replaces 107; Implements International Student Cap