Group of Eight in discussion with government on ‘housing affordability issue’

Group of Eight Chief Executive Vicki Thomson has questioned what problem the government is trying to solve by putting a cap on international students. Ms Thomson questioned whether it was the housing crisis, rental affordability, the regions and developing skills in the regions or “all of the above”. “Is the one single lever to somehow put a break on international education," she said. “In terms of the housing affordability issue, we are talking to the government and the government has made it very clear to us that we need to have skin in the game. “We do have skin in the game … we have large residential colleges, we have large arrangements with private providers, etc.”