Pauline Hanson blasts Australian universities, reveals foreign student policy plan to keep dropouts away

Pauline Hanson says foreign students “must be stopped from abusing asylum”, claiming some are in Australia with “no intention to study”.

The One Nation Leader issued the announcement on Tuesday as she pushed forward with policy plans amid an unprecedented rise in the party’s popularity.

Senator Hanson said the immigration system was being abused, something she suggested was adding to the struggle of Australians attempting to get into homes.

Under her plan, foreign students would need to return to their home country before applying for additional studies in Australia.

Senator Hanson hit out at Australian universities, saying they were “addicted to easy foreign student money”, adding that they were “complicit” in abuse.

“Many of these people are occupying homes and accessing services that should be for Australians first,” Senator Hanson said on Tuesday.

“It’s apparent that when it comes to some of these students, there’s no intention to study and every intention of abusing the system to access economic benefits and high Australian wages.

“There’s been an explosion of foreign students abusing the system with ‘course-hopping’. They get a student visa, drop out soon after and apply to a bunch of bogus schools or courses while remaining on a bridging visa which allows them to work and access housing and services in Australia.

“On average these bridging visas last around 200 days before their new study visa application is processed. If they’re knocked back they just appeal it — the average waiting time for appeals is another 64 weeks, again on a bridging visa.

“Many even claim asylum despite having no grounds, because your average waiting time on such an application is around three years. If that’s knocked back, they just appeal it again so they can spend more time making money in Australia.”

Senator Hanson said the system was “being scammed”, claiming the number of foreign students on bridging visas had blown out from 13,000 to 107,000 in just three years.

“The system is being scammed, and universities addicted to foreign student money are part of the problem. It’s no coincidence many universities based elsewhere have campuses and shop fronts in Sydney where most foreign students want to end up,” she said.

“For what reason does Central Queensland University — which in 2023 recorded a 57.2 per cent first-year dropout rate among foreign students — have a campus in Sydney if not to grab a slice of the foreign student windfall?

“It’s another example of why Australian universities must be broken of their addiction to foreign students and be forced to prioritise education for Australians.”

The One Nation leader, who just this week overtook both Labor and the Coalition in a Newspoll conducted for The Australian, said her policy for foreign students would ensure if they dropped out, they would not get a bridging visa, with appeals not accepted.