Four in five Australians say international students are important to Australia’s economy, new polling confirms.

Australian business has strongly backed Australian immigration policies that enable international students to study here – injecting $32 billion a year into Australia’s economy.

Universities will seek more detail on legislation introduced in Parliament this week to tax higher education providers whose students access HELP loans.

One in seven university students regularly go without food and other necessities because they cannot afford them, the latest national financial survey of Australian university students has found.

International students injected $31.9 billion into Australia’s economy last financial year, directly boosting Australian jobs and wages – including in regional Australia.

Australia is poised to leapfrog the United Kingdom and become the world’s second most popular destination for international students, further boosting Australian jobs and incomes.

Australia’s growth in international education has set another new record, with more than 548,000 overseas students studying here in the latest official numbers from April.

The Nick Xenophon Team’s announcement that it cannot support the Government’s $2.8 billion cut to universities and students is “a victory for common sense and Australia’s best interests”.