100th anniversary of the first Chinese students in Australia, international education: Latest rundown of higher education
This week has been comparatively quieter to last, but that’s not to say there hasn’t been plenty to go on with. I had the pleasure of attending a dinner on Wednesday evening to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the first Chinese students in Australia. What an incredible milestone this is!
In my remarks, I reflected on the fact that Chinese students began coming here (in the 1920s) some 50 years before Australia and China established formal diplomatic relations in 1972. Those students, and the ones that followed, undoubtedly helped bring our countries closer, playing a key role in forming the Australia-China relationship.
I thought this was important to take stock of as the Coalition prepares to unveil its plan to cut international enrolments in the coming weeks. International education is so important to our nation for all the economic and cultural benefits it brings, and for its role in linking Australia to the world. It will be even more important as our economic and strategic environment changes in the years ahead. This is a sector we need to grow rather than curtail and I’ll continue to advocate for this on our sector’s behalf.
I have been monitoring updates on Cyclone Alfred this week and my thoughts are with our colleagues in South-east Queensland and northern New South Wales. I hope the worst does not materialise over the coming days. Please stay safe and I look forward to connecting with all of you on the other side.
For the Prime Minister Anthony Albanese , Cyclone Alfred could well erode his hopes of calling a 12 April election, as has been widely speculated for several months. If Mr Albanese chooses to delay the campaign beyond Monday, the pre-election budget scheduled for 25 March is back on the cards. If the Government sticks to this timetable, Australians won’t head to the polls until May. The coming days will determine all of this, and we’ll be watching closely. You can expect to hear from me when the election is called.
Earlier this week, UA responded to the Senate’s inquiry into the quality of governance at Australian higher education providers. We took the opportunity to highlight the political nature of this exercise and urge decision makers to not get distracted from the important policy and funding discussions our sector needs to have. Vice-chancellor salaries, in particular, should not be the sole focus of parliamentarians, certainly not at the expense of the policies and funding needed to keep our universities strong. UA has not been called to appear at the inquiry’s public hearing in Canberra on Wednesday.?
Also, this week, I have continued my engagement with government and community groups as we work to combat racism in Australia and on our campuses. I met with the Attorney-General on Monday to discuss this issue, and he was very supportive of the sector’s adoption of a definition of antisemitism. And on Thursday, I was privileged to meet with the President of the National Imams Council, Imam Shadi Alsuleiman, to discuss university efforts in combating racism on campuses and I look forward to further discussions with the Imam in the future.
I also want to let you know that I’ve been working with the Australian Human Rights Commission to develop the Respect at Uni survey and am advocating for an extension to the survey deadline. More time is needed for consultation around the survey’s design to ensure it achieves the best outcomes for staff and students. I’ll keep you posted on this.?
I’ll leave it there for today. I hope you all find time to relax this weekend. To those of you in places at risk from Cyclone Alfred, please stay safe.
Luke Sheehy
Chief Executive Officer, Universities Australia
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UA’s media engagement since 22 February 2025 has generated 755 mentions and reached a potential audience of more than 15 million across online, print, radio and television news.
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1 天前The success of the student visa program with China after diplomatic relations were restored during the Whitlam Government is worth celebrating, as well as those students who came before that time in the 1920s. It’s also worth noting that the first Chinese Consul-General to Australia arrived in Melbourne in 1909 (four years before Canberra was invented). Later T. K. Quei (魏子京 Chinese Consul-General?1917–1928) played a central role in the student visa program. See Dr Mei-Fen Kuo & Professor John Fitzgerald (2016) 'Chinese Students in White Australia: State, Community, and Individual Responses to the Student Visa Program, 1920-25,' Australian Historical Studies, 47:2, 259-277.
Artist of Yr ’23-25; CSO Amb. @UNECOSOC; UNSDG Hub Kenya Exec. Dir; consult Nobel Peace Prizes 2022, '10, '07; Nobel Women 2012; #UN #I4T#T7 #G21; Hon. Professor, Scot Green Party ; #Lancmag writer. #ERC Views=my own
1 天前That's a joke. The ones that first came to Australia were not part of Communist China so hey, thanks for using the victims of Mao's Human Rights violations to try to sell Australia out and welcome more communist spies who undermine the Democratic value of the Free world! #asif