Western Australia’s Labor state government has announced an official mission to India this week to try and attract more foreign students to the state.
Tertiary and International Education Minister Dr Tony Buti will lead the six-day visit to Delhi, Kolkata, and Chennai that will also promote aboriginal businesses participating in the federal government’s First Nations Business Mission.
Mr Buti, who regularly appears at Indian community events wearing Hindu and Sikh apparel, said WA was well placed to host more international students, and the recently changed federal government caps had given his state a greater number of places.
“We don’t have the same student accommodation issues that they have over east, and one of the problems also over in the eastern seaboard was that some of their universities, the predominance of international students from one particular country is in an unbalanced ratio,” he told The West Australian.
Indians already make up the largest international student group in WA with 11,702, followed by 9,459 from Bhutan, and 7,275 from China, but the state has just 9% of Australia’s foreign student population.
As well as trying to attract more students from India, Mr Buti also plans to help WA education providers expand into the Indian market, and promote 18 of the state’s mining companies at IME 2025 (International Mining, Equipment and Minerals Exhibition) in Kolkata.
“Western Australia has always maintained a strong relationship with India and growing the state’s reputation can support the growth in the number of international students pursuing further studies in WA, helping to diversify our economy,” he said in a statement.
“I am looking forward to also being able to promote WA’s world-renowned mining companies at India’s largest and most prestigious mining exhibition.”
The visit comes after WA Premier Roger Cook wrote to Prime Minister Albanese expressing concerns about the “negative impacts” of the federal government’s plans to slash the number of immigrants allowed to enter Australia under the state nominated migration program by one quarter.
Victoria, Queensland and South Australia have also complained about the reduction in state places from 26,260 to 20,350 for next year, even though WA will see the largest cut from 5,000 to 3,400 places, The Australian reported.
Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan, who during her own trip to India last year promised to help Indian students avoid Mr Albanese’s caps, said earlier this month the economy would be “impeded” by “not being able to attract the best and brightest from coming to work here” to fill so-called skill shortages.
“We’ve been clear as a government – whether it’s skilled migrants, whether it’s international students or our strong and proud migrant community more broadly – we welcome them here in Victoria,” she said.
South Australia also argued for a reconsideration, and a spokesperson for Queensland’s Liberal government said their state needed more immigrants.
“With new TAFE centres and apprentice programs we’re developing a homegrown pipeline of skilled workers to play catch-up on Labor’s skills shortage, but of course we still need our share of skilled migration,” the spokesperson said.
Assistant Minister to the Prime Minister Patrick Gorman said that while the concerns of the states would be heard, a “systematic, orderly migration system” was in the best interests of the country.
Header image: Left, Tony Buti at an Indian event. Right, Roger Cook wear at turban at a Sikh temple visit (Facebook).
