Unis Urged to Guarantee Freshman Housing, Not Cut Numbers
The Student Accommodation Council has called for an accommodation guarantee for all first year international students at metropolitan universities instead of a blunt cut to visa numbers, in response to the Coalition’s policy today.
The Council has called on whoever forms government to require universities to provide a guarantee of housing for all first year international students – to be delivered by the student accommodation sector.
The Coalition has announced that, if elected, it will introduce an expected 25 per cent cap on international student numbers to lower the number to 240,000 under the guise of the housing crisis.
Student Accommodation Council Executive Director Torie Brown said the move to cut international student numbers would have little housing impact but a very real economic one.
“If governments want to remove any impact of students coming from overseas to study in the rental market, they should ask universities to help students find suitable student-only housing before they arrive in the country.
“While the evidence has repeatedly shown students are not the cause of the housing crisis, a first year accommodation guarantee would fill existing student-only beds and unlock the development of more student accommodation.
“Purpose-built student accommodation is the only accommodation reserved exclusively for students that can be secured before they land in Australia.
“Time and again, evidence has shown that international students are not a key factor in housing affordability and supply, but if governments are serious about reducing their impacts, they should work with the sector to supercharge the development of more student-only housing,” Ms Brown said.
A report for the Student Accommodation Council by Mandala showed the previously proposed caps at 270,000 students would only lower the share of international students in the rental market from 5.4 to 4.8 per cent in 2026 cent and lower rents by $5 a week.
“International students are a scapegoat, not the cause of the rental crisis,” Ms Brown said.
“The way forward is to build more student accommodation, not to undermine one of our largest export industries, which drives activity in our CBDs and fuels research and innovation.
“Lowering one of our largest exports, one not impacted by the recently announced tariffs by America will only weaken our economy. Previous modelling of a cap of 270,000 students found it would hit our economy to the tune of $4.1 billion and cost 22,000 jobs.
“Instead of reducing international student numbers, the focus should be on building secure, purpose-built student housing to ease pressure on the wider rental market.”
The report found that since 2015, international student numbers rose 75 per cent while private PBSA beds grew 74 per cent, keeping pace with demand. It also showed that 25 per cent of international students live outside the rental market and 14 per cent in private student-only housing, with PBSA housing over 100,000 students nationwide.
https://www.propertycouncil.com.au/media-releases/universities-should-provide-a-first-year-student-accommodation-guarantee-instead-of-cutting-student-numbers