Daily Brief — Australian Education

Norton analyses the forthcoming policy — foreshadowed in late-August reporting — to eliminate secondary visas for most student categories, finding the secondary student visa holder population has hovered around 140,000 since late 2023, with secondary holders earning $1.3 billion in 2022–23 (14% of total student visa holder earnings) at a median income of $31,561, and children comprising approximately 27–28% of the group (1 September). The planned changes would retain secondary visas only for research students and Pacific/East Timor applicants; Nepal and India supply the largest secondary holder cohorts, with countries including Bhutan and Mongolia showing secondary holders making up nearly half of all student visa holders from those source markets. Norton: "Students were induced to come to Australia on the promise of temporary graduate visas for themselves and their families." (Norton, 1 September)

Standing figures: 2026 NPL 295,000 (+25,000 on 2025); visa refusal rates 69% Nepal, 42% India (early 2026); domestic commencements 413,133 (+4.3% YoY); $50m over-enrolment fund; $50m Structural Adjustment Fund.

Universities Australia opens the 2026 National Student Safety Survey across all 38 member universities on 31 August — the third such survey after 2016 and 2021 — inviting more than 1.2 million eligible students to report experiences of sexual violence and harm on campus; the survey is conducted by Roy Morgan with expert guidance from Professor Kate Fitz-Gibbon and closes 12 October 2026, with results expected in 2027. Luke Sheehy: "Every student deserves to feel safe, respected and included at university." (Universities Australia, 31 August)

17–18 November 2026 — TEQSA 2026 Conference, fully virtual.

19 May 2027 — ASQA 12-month VET/ELICOS registration pause expires.