Australia’s largest student accommodation group wants a “controlled” program to allow foreign students into the country to help stimulate an economic recovery in the education sector.
Australia’s borders have been closed since March because of the bid to keep out COVID-19, with only Australian citizens, residents and immediate family members able to travel to Australia.
The restrictions have hit universities and student accommodation providers, who are increasingly pressing for a system to allow the return of international students.
Scape Australia, which owns and operates more than 14,000 student rooms nationally, says a so-called portal will provide a controlled arrival program for international students and could be managed and funded by the education sector.
In practice, a portal would allow in students even if borders remained shut to tourists, on the proviso that they were strictly quarantined and tested in order to prevent the spread of coronavirus.
Scape executive chairman Craig Carracher says a portal ensuring quarantine and isolation for international students who spend over $20bn a year is a “vital, safe, controlled first step to economic recovery” . Carracher also urged the university sector to welcome students who were enrolled to start in 2020, not just students previously enrolled in courses.
He expects moves like split shifts for night owl students in sandstone university facilities. “Almost nocturnal in character, our students are as often studying together at 2am as they are at 10am and the potential to engage students that have successfully secured enrolments in 2020 should be our priority,” he says.
Scape in January put in place strict safety rules to address concerns about Chinese students arriving in Australia and introduced 14-day isolation and medical support. Despite receiving thousands of international students into their buildings this year it has no positive COVID-19 cases reported, it says, with more than 400 students undergoing compulsory isolation on arrival and after testing.
Scape, via its Atira portfolio, recently leased one of its buildings in Brisbane to the Queensland government to support vulnerable people who needed accommodation.
It is also working with the Victorian government and has been approved by the South Australian government to provide isolation and quarantine services.
Scape is highly active and last year acquired the 3500 bedroom Atira Student Living portfolio for about $700m. It followed that with the $2bn-plus acquisition of 7000 student bedrooms owned and operated by Urbanest.
The company is now developing 9000 additional off-campus purpose-built bedrooms nationally and has four development sites under construction including 1500 bedrooms in central Melbourne and Sydney.
“Opening a safe and quarantined portal for international students will enrich our cities, underwrite our higher education sector and stimulate our economy while ensuring our largest service export embraces the competitive advantage now available to Australia” Carracher says.
