On Thursday the government announced a parly inquiry into international education with ”on-line innovations in education delivery” part of the terms of reference

And on Friday, Education Minister Jason Clare told an industry conference, “if we are serious about diversification, we have to diversify what we offer. On-line and off-shore. Degrees going to students, not the other way around.”

Now why didn’t the previous government think of that? It did.

“Growth is driven by students around the world who are unable to afford a premium in-country experience and looking for more affordable and flexible options. The rise of digital and online education, micro-credentials and transnational education (TNE) allows students to tailor their education experiences to their preferred location and style of learning,” last year’s  Australian Strategy for International Education 2020-30 states.

Working on this could have been a job for the Council for International Education, created by the previous government and apparently  continuing under this, which, “oversees Australia’s role in international education and training.”

It might still be, but for now it appears the government wants to hear direct from providers, via the fail-safe form of a parly committee report. The government can adopt or ignore whatever ends up in the committee report – but the industry won’t be able to complain it wasn’t asked.