“This report reads almost like a postmortem of a world-class Aussie industry being systematically dismantled.” That’s how this week’s conversation starts, and honestly, it sets the tone.

In this episode of Global Horizons, Dirk Mulder and I sit down in the week of 16 February and try to make sense of a sector that feels like it’s accelerating in ten different directions at once. New data, new panels, new policy pressure, and the kind of political rhetoric that has a habit of turning complex issues into easy headlines.

We begin with English Australia’s newly released 2025 visa data, and it is bleak reading for anyone who cares about the health of the broader international education ecosystem. The numbers point to a sustained contraction in independent ELICOS visas, and the flow-on effects are not abstract. They are people, jobs, institutions, and capability.

Then, we shift to the International Student Representative Council, which is making a meaningful move towards rebuilding a stronger national student voice, appointing an inaugural expert panel with serious credentials. It is one of those developments that might sound procedural on paper, but could matter a lot if it helps restore advocacy and legitimacy in a space that has been battered since COVID.

Along the way, we dig into an unusual sign of public pushback from within the sector, a change.org petition targeting the onshore commission ban, and what that might signal about the next phase of industry response.

A few highlights we unpack in this episode:

• English Australia’s 2025 data, and why the visa fee settings hit ELICOS differently to higher education

• The estimated job impact, and what it means when an industry loses capacity, not just revenue

• The International Student Representative Council’s expert panel, and why student voice has been missing for too long

• The onshore commission ban petition, the ethics, the optics, and the unintended consequences for genuine student support

• Germany’s record-breaking growth as an alternate destination, and why it keeps coming up in these conversations

• AIEC is already on the horizon, key dates, and a gentle nudge to new voices to put their hand up

We also take a quick detour into AI, not as a gimmick, but because it is becoming impossible to ignore how fast expectations are shifting, especially for students. The default is rapidly becoming instant answers, personalised guidance, and always-on support, and that changes the bar for everyone.

By the end, this episode is less about one headline and more about a pattern. Where policy settings land hardest. Who gets protected, who gets squeezed, and what the global market does when Australia decides to “de-scale” an export industry that has spent decades building trust.

Global Horizons is a production of The Global Society, Australia’s Learning Abroad support company. Our editor is Len Zamora and our distribution specialist is Gelo Ablao. Rob Malicki is the executive editor and host. The podcast wouldn’t be possible without The Koala News, Australia’s international education news website. This episode is supported by Choosing Your Uni, Australia's unique, AI-powered platform that helps domestic and international students to find the right institution for them, and that helps Australian institutions to access new markets.

For guest suggestions and feedback, email podcast@globalsociety.com.au