A critical review of Australia's China-dominant education supply chain

Abstract

This study examines whether the expansion of Australia's international education sector has been highly dependent on students from China supported by competitive supply chain management. In 2019, Australia's earnings from international education were A$40.3 billion, of which 30% was contributed by Chinese education visitors. However, researchers and observers have been alluding to the risks of over-reliance on the Chinese market in recent years. Further, the COVID-19 outbreak since early 2020 has severely disrupted the supply chains of the international education sector because Australia imposed travel bans for all international visitors. The econometric results of the study suggest that Chinese students contributed significantly to the education exports and economic growth of Australia. Policy recommendations emphasise on the diversification of the education market and effective supply chain management to recover from the financial hardship experienced by the sector caused by the COVID-19 pandemic along with the recent geopolitical tension between Australia and China.