Higher education becomes Australia’s biggest service export

By Ray Clancy. Australia’s bid to attract more students from overseas is succeeding with a new report showing that higher Education is contributing significantly to the country’s economic prosperity.
It is the country’s largest service export and plays a leading role in the economies of Australia’s most populous states of Victoria and New South Wales. Education is Victoria’s largest export and it is the second biggest in New South Wales, a report by consultant Alan Olsen shows. Universities Australia’s chief executive Belinda Robinson said the report highlights the contribution of international education to Australia’s economic prosperity as it finds education exports have doubled in value every five years from 1990 to 2010, overtaking tourism as the top service export in 2007/2008. More...