International Students

The Hon. T.J. STEPHENS (14:47): My question is to the Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment. Can the minister inform the council about the Marshall Liberal government's plan to grow our international student numbers?

The Hon. D.W. RIDGWAY (Minister for Trade, Tourism and Investment) (14:47): On Tuesday 4 September 2018, the Marshall Liberal government delivered a strong budget to secure South Australia's future. We are committed to growing our international education sector, which is South Australia's largest export sector, injecting more than $1.5 billion each year into the state's economy. For every four additional students who come to live and learn in Adelaide, one extra full-time job is created. As the Treasurer says, we are cleaning up Labor's mess and returning the budget to a sustainable position.

While the former Labor government was intent on cutting funding to this vital economic sector, we are delivering on our election commitments to create more jobs, including by introducing measures to grow international student numbers. One such measure announced in Tuesday's budget is an increase in funding to StudyAdelaide to a total of $2.5 million in annual support for the next four years. The difference between the Marshall Liberal government and the previous government could not be clearer, with this budget laying a strong foundation for the future to deliver economic reform that South Australia needs.

While the previous government considered stopping funding to StudyAdelaide altogether, this government believes we should do more to market Adelaide as a centre of education excellence, to entice more international students to live and study in South Australia. Another recent initiative to strengthen our international education offering has been the Adelaide Engage program. As shared with the council before, the establishment of this internship program has already seen over 300 international students from four universities. I'm pleased to share that overwhelmingly positive feedback has been received, and I am happy to share that with the Legislative Council.

The July cohort saw 22 teams made up of 143 international students participate in a three-week program working as business consultants under the mentorship of 27 industry professionals, delivering real-world business projects. The success of the program is demonstrated by the high feedback received from both the students, mentors and business clients. Ninety-six per cent of international students believe they have improved their employability skills by taking part in the Adelaide Engage program, and nine out of the 10 mentors and business clients said they would recommend participation in the Adelaide Engage program to a colleague.

The more international students we are able to attract to the state, the greater the benefits are for our local economy. All these students, as we know, spend money on accommodation, goods and local services while they are living here. And of course their family and friends who visit are growing our visitor economy and creating even more jobs for South Australians.