Australia down last year but education remains a major export sector

PIER Online has flagged a couple of interesting bits of analysis based on new statistics from the Australian government. First, Australia Education International has crunched the numbers on some recent Bureau of Statistics figures and is reporting that Australian education exports were off 12% in the most recent fiscal year. For the year to June, the education sector contributed AUS$16.3 billion, compared to AUS$18.6 billion in 2009/10. A second report, meanwhile, reinforces the key role that international education continues to play in the Australian economy. The Australian is reporting that international students contributed AUS$3.8 billion to the nation's universities last year alone. This economic impact is heavily concentrated among seven universities, each of which generated revenues in excess of AUS$200 million. Sources: PIER Online, The Australian