The federal government has been accused of neglecting international students in its .
Higher education institutions will be offering cut-price courses starting in May to fill skill shortages to assist the economic rebound once the coronavirus pandemic has run its course.
Education Minister Dan Tehan said the government would also guarantee funding for universities at current levels, even if there is a fall in domestic student numbers.
Tertiary and international education providers will also get regulatory fee relief so they can better support domestic and international students, as well as provide exemptions from loan fees under FEE-HELP and VET Student Loans.
"This is unashamedly focused on domestic students," Mr Tehan said.
"We're going to need our university sector, we're going to need our broader tertiary sector to retrain and reskill Australians to help us emerge from the pandemic even stronger."
The National Territory Education Union said not including more measures to help international students was "shameful".
"We’re happy to take their money in the good times, to the point where it made up over 26 per cent of university income in 2018. But we say ‘sorry, you’re on your own’ in the bad times? This is shameful behaviour," NTEU National President Dr Alison Barnes said.
Greens Senator Mehreen Faruqi said the government’s messaging would alienate hundreds of thousands of international students.
"The parochial flavour to the government’s ‘domestic students first’ messaging, while leaving international students destitute, is outrageous," she said.
In response to the economic fallout from COVID-19, the federal government has permitted and extended the number of hours international students can work per fortnight.
But , with many now unemployed and ineligible for the federal government's $130 billion JobKeeper scheme.
Minister for Education Dan Tehan announces a higher education relief package amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Source: AAP
'Important first step'
Universities Australia, the peak lobby group for the sector, welcomed the government's package.
But while chair Deborah Terry said the measures were an "important first step", it alone is not enough to stop the economic losses to the sector.
"We estimate a quarter of all jobs at Australian universities will go within the next six months – that’s more than 21,000 livelihoods. Without guaranteed CGS and HELP funding that figure would have been even higher," she said.
Prof Terry said despite senior staff salary cuts and "very substantial reductions in operational spending", the sector was expecting a revenue decline of "between $3 billion and $4.6 billion".
She also said universities were already working to support domestic and international students who have lost their jobs, but more help would be needed.
"Many of our students are struggling to pay rent and buy food. Universities are offering crisis support, but more will be required."
Calls for welfare packages
Earlier this week, the Council of International Students Australia called for embassies, consulate-generals and high commissions to provide welfare packages specifically-targeted to international students.
"These are extremely trying times for us all and Australia is rolling out help and support in accordance to the ever-changing pandemic," a spokesperson said.
"Many international students have been laid off, facing a severe decrease in shifts and high job insecurity and are now living on their savings, which are running out fast.
"In these unprecedented times, international students are left in an impossible situation, with few options as they are unable to return home due to lockdowns and border closures and unable to support themselves."
'Gaping hole in finances'
Dr Barnes from the NTEU added the package would do nothing to address the anticipated multi-billion-dollar shortfall in university income. "The $18 billion that Dan Tehan is trumpeting is already budgeted for," she said.
"It’s the government funding for domestic students that universities were already expecting. None of it is new money. This will not plug the gaping hole in university finances left by the drop in international student income."
The NTEU believes by not enabling universities to access the JobKeeper subsidy, tens of thousands of jobs in the sector are still threatened.
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Additional reporting by Biwa Kwan, AAP.
