Australian academics have demanded an end to universities鈥� financial reliance on international tuition fees, after Canberra hinted that overseas students may be allowed back in to help the sector avert economic catastrophe.

The National Tertiary Education Union (NTEU) has stepped up its campaign for federal intervention to prevent university job losses, with #SaveHigherEdJobs achieving prominence as Australia鈥檚 top-trending Twitter hashtag on 21 May.

In Sydney, scores of cars formed a protest convoy from the harbourfront to the headquarters of the governing Liberal Party, painted with slogans like 鈥渇unding now 鈥� save higher education鈥� and 鈥渇und the shortfall, guarantee all uni jobs鈥�.

Michael Thomson, secretary of the NTEU鈥檚 New South Wales (NSW) division, said up to 30,000 jobs were at stake. 鈥淎ll of the jobs that will be lost could be saved,鈥� he said, if the federal government provided emergency relief funding and made universities eligible for the JobKeeper employment subsidy scheme.

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鈥淯niversities鈥ely on overseas students for revenue,鈥� he told 成人VR视频. 鈥淎t the NTEU, we have been talking for a long time about the marketisation of universities. Every unit at the university, every school, every faculty has to make a return. What鈥檚 this got to do with education?鈥�

David Shoebridge, a Greens MP in the NSW parliament鈥檚 upper house, warned of a 鈥済enerational loss鈥� of teaching and research experience. 鈥淲e need a different future for higher education, not reliant upon overseas students," he said.

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鈥淵oung upcoming academics鈥re most at risk. Their research funding has been cut. They鈥檙e being [assigned] more teaching obligations. We are destroying the future of our education system, and [our] long-term interest in having world-leading educational institutions. It鈥檚 not just a crisis of jobs. It鈥檚 a crisis for the future of Australia鈥檚 economy.鈥�

However, Canberra signalled that it would look to international education to dig the sector from its fiscal hole. Asked what action would be taken to prevent about 40 per cent of Australian researchers from losing their jobs, health minister Greg Hunt reiterated the government鈥檚 willingness to 鈥渓ook at means of bringing back鈥� international students.

鈥淯niversities [are] putting forward proposals for careful, cautious, quarantine-based resumption of international students. A number of the premiers have talked about that, and we remain very open and very welcoming to proposals that they are likely to put forward.鈥�

New analyses by Australian National University higher education policy expert Andrew Norton outline the extent to which international education subsidises universities鈥� costs. Professor Norton has that some 27 per cent of university research spending 鈥� about A$3.3 billion (拢1.8 billion) 鈥� relies on profits from international students.

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Professor Norton also that Australian universities had netted more than A$3.9 billion from international students in 2018, recouping fees of around A$8.8 billion from courses that cost them about A$4.8 billion to deliver. Management and commerce degrees in particular yielded a 鈥渓arge profit margin鈥�.

He said universities charged an 80 per cent 鈥渕ark-up鈥�, on average, for teaching overseas students 鈥� a figure he deemed 鈥渉igh but not beyond credible鈥�.

鈥淚t is consistent with the extreme enthusiasm universities showed for taking ever-greater numbers of international students, and the dire predictions they now make about their finances due to having fewer than expected international students,鈥� he said.

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com