After pumping endless propaganda about fake international education exports, lobby group Universities Australia continues to desperately argue that the tidal wave of international students arriving in Australia is not negatively impacting Australian renters.
Over the weekend, Universities Australia claimed that international students were being “scapegoated” and that vacancy rate data is evidence that the unprecedented increase in foreign students is not adversely impacting the rental market:
From the article:
New analysis reveals locals in Australia’s three biggest cities have a better chance of finding an apartment in suburbs with large international student populations, undermining rhetoric from both sides of parliament about students fuelling the housing crisis.
The analysis from peak group Universities Australia found that of the 30 suburbs within a five-kilometre radius of the centres of Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, only one – Parkville in Melbourne – had a vacancy rate below the city average…
In total, 85% of foreign students live in the three biggest capital cities despite efforts over the years to encourage them to enrol in regional areas…
“Both sides of politics are treating international students as cannon fodder in a poll-driven battle on migration with little regard for the enormous benefits they bring to our nation”, [Luke Sheehy, chief executive of Universities Australia, said].
Hilariously, the data on which Universities Australia has based its analysis comes from SQM Research. SQM managing director and founder Louis Christopher responded with the following on Twitter (X):
“Well, strangely enough, it appears they used our rental vacancy rates but they certainly didn’t ask us for our analysis”…
“It is true rental vacancy rates in the inner city areas have been higher than the capital city average. What is also true is that it has nearly always been that way”…
“The suburb of Randwick in Sydney has very high concentrations of international students studying at UNSW. Of course, more than university students live in this suburb and in the wider postcode”.
“Right now the vacancy rate is higher than the Sydney average (2%v 1.7%). But that wasn’t the case between October 2022 and January 2024”.
“Interestingly, when the borders closed, nearly all area’s vacancy rates mentioned in the story shot up well above the city average. I wonder why?”
The boom in international student arrivals after the border was reopened following the pandemic was a key driver of Australia’s record temporary and net overseas migration:
As a result, residential property rents exploded:
Look at the above charts and tell me again that the unprecedented boom in international students has not adversely impacted Australian tenants.
It turns out that ramping immigration into a supply-restricted market was a dumb idea and has delivered the worst rental crisis in living memory.
The unprecedented boom in international students has also trashed pedagogical standards and resulted in university degrees being handed out like tic-tacs to students who cannot speak basic English, do not understand the course content, and increasingly resort to cheating and other nefarious methods.
It’s time for a Royal Commission into the whole stinking edifice.
