CA ANZ cautions against government crackdown on international students

In a submission to the Department of Education, CA ANZ raised concerns that the planned cap on international student numbers could exacerbate the accountant shortage.

“With the accounting profession already facing a declining graduate pipeline, ongoing shortages, and global competition for talent, it is in Australia's interests to provide a destination of choice for international students,” CA ANZ said in a release.

The accounting industry has struggled with acute shortages, meaning some professionals have struggled to maintain work/life balance whilst managing heavy workloads. Almost half (41 per cent) of surveyed accounting firms believed that talent shortages would have an ongoing impact on the profession.

At the same time, politicians have been under pressure to reduce international student numbers and overall immigration as major Australian cities grapple with a housing crisis.

CA ANZ raised specific concerns with the government’s proposal to limit the enrolments in specific courses, limit total international student enrolments and limit enrolments in specific locations.

The accounting body pointed out that course-specific enrolment limits would apply to courses including commerce, management and accounting which are already in decline.

Furthermore, limiting the total number of international student enrolments would have negative effects for Australian education providers, CA ANZ said.

They also said that location-specific caps on student enrolments which seek to divert students to regional towns would result in lower overall enrolments.

Recent surveys of advertised vacancies by CA ANZ found that taxation accountants were the accounting profession at the highest risk of shortage, accounting for almost a third (29 per cent) of total advertised roles.

The main reason that survey respondents gave for not filling vacancies was a lack of suitable applicants, CA ANZ found.

The accounting body has called on the government to refocus Australia’s migration system to allow skilled migrants to fill vacancies and tackle skills shortages. The long training gap and declining graduate pipeline are both pressing issues faced by the accounting profession.

They have also called on the government to feature accountants, auditors and finance-related occupations on Australia’s skilled migration lists.

CA ANZ noted that the hard cap on total international student numbers should be considered in the context of prior crackdowns on student visas and migration rules.

“We caution the government against regulatory overreach and unintended consequences for Australia’s $48 billion international education sector, the economy, community [and] employers,” CA ANZ said.