00:00When Ananya moved to Canberra from India almost three years ago, she was excited to come to
00:07a country that seemed to embrace international students.
00:11But recent decisions, like the cap on international student numbers, makes her feel like she's
00:17not welcome.
00:18It has always shown its global image as a country with its open arms and it seems like
00:23it's closing its arms in front of us.
00:25She thinks the announcement will impact how Australia is viewed in the global market.
00:31Is Australia actually a student-friendly country anymore or not?
00:34But it's not just international students that are trying to grapple with the decision.
00:39The Australian National University says it's a significant announcement for their community,
00:45though they don't plan to rescind any existing 2025 offers.
00:49The University of Canberra says they're still making considerations before commenting further.
00:55Australia has a reputation as a world-class destination for international students to
01:00study.
01:01But unions are worried that caps on student numbers could lead to job losses in the sector.
01:06Fees paid by international students are the second largest source of income for universities.
01:12We think university managers over time have seen university students from overseas as
01:16cash cows.
01:17The National Tertiary Education Union says universities in Canberra are already running
01:23at a financial loss.
01:25Last year, the ANU revealed they were $27 million deeper in the red than expected.
01:32At the University of Canberra, they've recently announced a deficit that's $10 million worse
01:37than expected.
01:38Without extra government funding, the union says tertiary institutions are now being forced
01:44to look at alternatives.
01:46The fear is that university staff jobs will be compromised in the process.
01:52Our staff, our members are sick of being the punching bags basically that whenever there's
01:56a financial headwind, it's jobs that have got to go.
01:59Student advocates are worried what it will all mean for the education of the students.
02:04When you cut staff, that means less available teachers to run courses, to teach subjects
02:10and that means both domestic and international students are going to receive a lower quality
02:15of education.
02:17Facing an uncertain future.
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