Soft power, hard lesson: what can Australia learn from unhappy Asian students?

Australia's education system is one of our most successful export industries, worth an estimated 54 billion dollars. But as perceptions that our universities are "mediocre and overpriced" rise, is the opportunity to use education as a way to build stronger relationships with south east Asia passing Australia by? This episode Hamish Macdonald and Kylie Morris go to Ho Chi Minh City to speak with Damien Cave from the New York Times, who argues Australian universities are failing as a frontline of Australian foreign policy.Guest: New York Times' Vietnam bureau chief, Damien Cave. Read his story for ABC's Long Read here: Is Australia's university empire losing global appeal?Get in touch:We'd love to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] all the episodes of Global Roaming now via the ABC Listen App or wherever you get your podcasts.*Hamish is in Indonesia as the winner of the 2024 Elizabeth O’Neill Journalism Award. The award provides for a visit to Indonesia supported by the Australia-Indonesia Institute (All) within the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).