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Sydney Morning Herald
7 days ago
- Business
- Sydney Morning Herald
International student surge probably contributed to post-pandemic inflation: RBA
International students spend twice as much as Australian residents and work fewer hours on average, say Reserve Bank economists, who have found they were a probable contributor to the recent inflation surge amid an ongoing political debate over whether international arrivals have put pressure on housing prices. While the RBA's latest bulletin suggests international students add more to demand in the economy than they do to supply in the short term, its economists have rejected the idea that international students have been a major driver of the country's price pressures. The increase in international students was 'just one of the many other forces at play' that drove inflation higher in the years immediately after the pandemic, when international students returned to the country in large numbers, they said. Inflation peaked at 7.8 per cent in December 2022, and both house prices and rents have continued to climb, though at a slowing pace. The total number of international students rose sharply from just under 300,000 in 2022 to 560,000 by the end of 2023, with the RBA's research noting such large swings could shift the dial on inflation, especially when the economy has little spare capacity or flexibility to increase supply. The research found that international students spend about twice as much as residents, with the difference mostly explained by tuition fees. However, their spending – which is higher on average than the amount they earn – is also fuelled by the savings they bring with them. Front-loaded spending on categories such as furniture may have contributed to inflation, the researchers said, as international students set up their lives in Australia and took some time to join the labour market. Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in June showed people were leaving Australia in the highest numbers since the pandemic, with international student numbers hovering near record highs but starting to stabilise after years of concern over surging arrivals. In May, the Albanese government's new assistant minister for international education, Julian Hill, refused to rule out another attempt to cap foreign student enrolments after its initial plans to cut down numbers was blocked by the Coalition and the Greens, saying: 'We are not going to back off managing the numbers'. During the election, the Coalition also vowed to slow international arrivals.
The Age
7 days ago
- Business
- The Age
International student surge probably contributed to post-pandemic inflation: RBA
International students spend twice as much as Australian residents and work fewer hours on average, say Reserve Bank economists, who have found they were a probable contributor to the recent inflation surge amid an ongoing political debate over whether international arrivals have put pressure on housing prices. While the RBA's latest bulletin suggests international students add more to demand in the economy than they do to supply in the short term, its economists have rejected the idea that international students have been a major driver of the country's price pressures. The increase in international students was 'just one of the many other forces at play' that drove inflation higher in the years immediately after the pandemic, when international students returned to the country in large numbers, they said. Inflation peaked at 7.8 per cent in December 2022, and both house prices and rents have continued to climb, though at a slowing pace. The total number of international students rose sharply from just under 300,000 in 2022 to 560,000 by the end of 2023, with the RBA's research noting such large swings could shift the dial on inflation, especially when the economy has little spare capacity or flexibility to increase supply. The research found that international students spend about twice as much as residents, with the difference mostly explained by tuition fees. However, their spending – which is higher on average than the amount they earn – is also fuelled by the savings they bring with them. Front-loaded spending on categories such as furniture may have contributed to inflation, the researchers said, as international students set up their lives in Australia and took some time to join the labour market. Figures from the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) in June showed people were leaving Australia in the highest numbers since the pandemic, with international student numbers hovering near record highs but starting to stabilise after years of concern over surging arrivals. In May, the Albanese government's new assistant minister for international education, Julian Hill, refused to rule out another attempt to cap foreign student enrolments after its initial plans to cut down numbers was blocked by the Coalition and the Greens, saying: 'We are not going to back off managing the numbers'. During the election, the Coalition also vowed to slow international arrivals.
ABC News
18-07-2025
- Politics
- ABC News
Palestinian woman released from immigration detention after visa 'personally' cancelled
A Palestinian grandmother has been released from an immigration detention centre a week after her visa was "personally" cancelled by a federal assistant minister over alleged security concerns. Maha Almassri, 61, was detained by Australian Border Force (ABF) officers at her son's home in Sydney's west last Thursday and taken to Villawood Immigration Detention Centre. Ms Almassri fled Gaza in early 2024 and arrived in Australia, where she was granted a bridging visa. In a document seen by the ABC, Assistant Minister for Citizenship and Customs Julian Hill "personally" made the decision to cancel her visa because he reasonably suspected that she "does not pass the character test". The document stated that the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) advised the immigration department "it had assessed Ms Almassri to be directly or indirectly a risk to security". The ABC has confirmed with multiple sources familiar with the case that the 61-year-old was released from the detention centre on Thursday. Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the government would not comment on the visa "cancellation" but said that any person given an "adverse security assessment" remains in detention. "Any information in the public domain is being supplied by the individual or her family and is not necessarily consistent with the information held by our intelligence and security agencies," Mr Burke said in a statement on Friday. "For people in Australia who have been given an adverse security assessment, none of them have been given visas, and they remain in detention in accordance with the Migration Act." Ms Almassri's family and her legal team declined to comment on Friday. In a statement provided a day after she was detained, her family condemned the dawn raid on the "loving mother, sister, and grandmother" and questioned the reasons provided for cancelling her visa. "She has lost members of her family back in Gaza; her home and town of Khan Younis have been systematically bombed and destroyed," the statement read. "We are all for protecting this great nation but are very concerned by the vague ASIO assessment and report, which was accepted by the immigration department." Mr Hill has also been contacted for comment.
SBS Australia
18-07-2025
- Politics
- SBS Australia
Palestinian woman released from detention after Australian visa cancellation
A Palestinian woman detained for over a week following the cancellation of her visa has been released overnight. Maha Almassri was taken from her home in Punchbowl in Sydney's south-west at 5am last Thursday, and initially held in Bankstown police station before being transferred to Villawood detention centre, according to her family. Her Australian visa was cancelled by Assistant Citizenship Minister Julian Hill after failing the character test, according to a document seen by SBS News. A private Facebook post confirmed her release on Thursday night, which SBS News has verified with a source close to the family. Details of the release are unknown, and the status of her visa is unclear. Australia's Migration Act grants its home affairs minister — or a chosen delegate — the right to cancel a person's visa on character grounds or if the cancellation is deemed to be "in the national interest". The document stated that the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation assessed Almassri to be "directly or indirectly a risk to security", therefore deeming she "objectively fails the character test". Alison Battisson, a lawyer acting for Almassri, declined to comment. SBS News contacted Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke's office for comment. "The government will not be commenting on this cancellation," a spokesperson for Burke told SBS News. "Any information in the public domain is being supplied by the individual or her family and is not necessarily consistent with the information held by our intelligence and security agencies."
The Guardian
18-07-2025
- Politics
- The Guardian
Palestinian woman released from immigration detention in Sydney a week after assistant minister cancelled her visa
A Palestinian woman has been released from immigration detention a week after she was detained by authorities when a federal assistant minister 'personally' cancelled her visa. Last Thursday, Maha Almassri, 61, was awoken by Australian Border Force officers at her son's home in western Sydney and taken to Villawood detention centre. She was told her bridging visa had been cancelled after she failed a character test. Almassri fled Gaza in February 2024 and entered Australia on a visitor visa shortly afterwards. She was granted a bridging visa in June 2024 after she applied for a protection visa. Mohammed Almassri, Maha's cousin, confirmed the grandmother was released from Villawood on Thursday afternoon. He said Maha had requested privacy and was unable to give further details. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email In a document seen by Guardian Australia, Maha Almassri was informed her visa had been cancelled 'personally' by the assistant minister for citizenship and cultural affairs, Julian Hill. The document said the assistant minister 'reasonably suspects that the person does not pass the character test' and was 'satisfied that the cancellation was in the national interest'. On Saturday, Mohammed Almassri told Guardian Australia the family had been given no further information by the government explaining why she was detained or the reasons why she had failed the character test. According to the Migration Act, a person does not pass the character test if they have been assessed by the Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (Asio) to be a direct or indirect risk to security. Her cousin said security checks were made on her by both Australian and Israeli authorities before she was granted a visa and cleared to leave Gaza, and that her age made her an unlikely threat to Australian national security. 'She's an old lady, what can she do?' Mohammed Almassri said last week. 'What's the reason? They have to let us know why this has happened. There is no country, no house, nothing [to go back to in Gaza].' Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Maha Almassri has more than 100 Australian relatives living across the country, Mohammed said last Friday. His Australian children were evacuated from Rafah in March last year. In a social media post on Thursday night, a member of the community wrote that Maha had been released and thanked the home affairs minister, Tony Burke, for his 'efforts in achieving justice' for the 61-year-old. 'We are pleased to inform you of the release of our sister … after her week-long detention at Villawood detention centre,' they wrote. 'We would also like to thank everyone who contributed sufficient information that contributed to her release.' The home affairs department was contacted for comment.
