Canada’s International Education Warning, Australia’s VET Freeze, and the Politics of Migration

Canada, we have a problem.And, if we’re being honest, Australia might have a very similar one.In this episode of Global Horizons, Rob Malicki and Dirk Mulder unpack a week in international education that starts with Canada’s positioning problem and quickly turns into a much bigger conversation about policy clarity, political trust, skilled migration, international students, VET, and whether governments are actually pulling the right levers.Prompted by a sharp op-ed from Christine Wack at IDP, Rob and Dirk dig into one of the biggest questions facing countries like Canada and Australia: if we want to attract global talent, build skilled workforces and compete for bright minds, are our policy settings actually helping us do that?Spoiler: not necessarily.The conversation then turns to Australia’s 12-month freeze on new CRICOS applications for parts of the VET sector, with exemptions for government schools, state-owned TAFEs and public universities. Which, depending on how charitable you’re feeling, either looks like an integrity measure, a migration-management tool, or something uncomfortably anti-competitive.Also on the agenda: the Coalition’s budget reply, the political temptation to keep blaming migration, why international education keeps getting caught up in the broader net overseas migration debate, and whether major parties are missing what voters are actually angry about.Along the way, Rob and Dirk also find time for the important things: Sydney rain, Milo weather, NAFSA FOMO, petrol prices, and the enormous success of the Choosing Your Uni National Virtual Expo, which attracted more than 5,600 registrations and 13,000 unique visitors during expo week.In this episode, we cover:Canada’s international education positioning problem, and why Australia should pay attentionWhy prospective students are increasingly looking for employability, quality, safety and policy clarityThe Australian Government’s 12-month freeze on new CRICOS applications in parts of the VET sectorWhat the VET freeze could mean for private providers, ELICOS, TAFEs and workforce shortagesThe Coalition’s migration rhetoric and what it might mean for international educationWhy the net overseas migration debate keeps dragging international students into the political spotlightIDP’s new IELTS centre in Chengdu and why it matters for the company’s China strategyThe Tertiary Scholarship Fund’s 2026 Awards for Excellence, and a lovely Melbourne story of generosity through educationA tribute to Neale Daniher, his remarkable public fight against motor neurone disease, and the power of not walking past the chance to do a little bit of goodThere are some weeks where international education feels like a sector.And then there are weeks where it feels like a mirror, reflecting back bigger questions about trust, politics, workforce planning, national identity and whether our leaders are thinking far enough ahead.This is one of those weeks.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. Global Horizons is the official podcast of the ⁠AIEC conference⁠! Registrations are already open... grab your spot early!