‘Open slather’: Albanese government criticised for ‘soft cap’ on university students

Shadow Education Minister Sarah Henderson says the government has hit regional universities “very hard” with its newest directive to limit international student numbers. There's been mixed reaction to a new government direction to manage foreign student numbers from Australia's university sector. New Ministerial Direction 111 will divide visa applications into high priority and standard priority instead of capping visa numbers. “It’s still going to effectively implement this soft cap which is open slather,” Ms Henderson said.