The Australian higher education industry has suffered from sustained and regular cuts over the years. The Australian higher education and research system is largely funded through Government research schemes and teaching grants, which have diminished over time. In 1999, the Australian Government provided 50% of Go8[1] revenue (excluding HECS). In comparison, the Australian Government provided only 35% of Go8 revenue by 2017, with only 24% of revenue recurrent. In 2017, Malcolm Turnbull’s Liberal-National Coalition Government cut $2.1 billion from university funding, and again in 2018 the Coalition, led by Turnbull, slashed $328.5 million in research funding. In 2019, Scott Morrison’s Coalition Government repurposed $3.9 billion research infrastructure fund away from universities. Universities are currently facing a funding freeze, dating back to 2018.

Income from international students became of increasing importance in supplementing lost research and teaching funding. This has been a successful endeavour—higher education has consistently been Australia’s third-largest export industry, injecting $32.4 billion into the economy. In South Australia, higher education is the state’s number one export. In Victoria, international education has been the largest services export industry for over a decade. Domestic students also carry a large share of the industry. In the past two decades, the share of the Australian population that hold a bachelor degree or above has more than tripled, and the number of students from low socio-economic backgrounds has increased by more than 60% in the past decade. There are 40 Australian universities, all of which generate research, teaching, and contribute to the Australian economy. Go8 universities alone contribute $66.4 billion each year to the economy.