Keep Australian borders closed, Go8 urges

Reeling from border closures that have decimated their finances, Australia’s research-intensive universities have nevertheless recommended that the closures be extended.

A “Roadmap to Recovery” report from the Group of Eight (Go8) universities urges the federal government to maintain border restrictions for at least another six months.

The 192-page report, hastily assembled by a taskforce of more than 100 Go8 researchers, offers policy advice to complement the government’s publicly articulated pandemic plans. The report says that notwithstanding weak evidence on the benefits of travel bans, and the World Health Organisation’s tendency to advise against them during epidemics, the current bans should be extended.

“Although the evidence on the use of travel restrictions and border closures during the Covid-19 pandemic remains preliminary and has yet to be sufficiently peer-reviewed, there is nevertheless sufficient indication that travel-related measures have proved effective in slowing the international spread of the virus,” the report says.

“Maintaining restrictions on incoming and outgoing travellers gives the Australian government flexibility to pursue either a full elimination strategy or suppression strategy.”

The report says Australians should be barred from travelling overseas for another six months, other than for sanctioned “essential” travel. It says foreigners should only be allowed to enter if their countries have been free from Covid-19 infections for at least four weeks and have border controls that are “identical to Australia’s and stringently enforced” ones – which would in effect rule out incoming travellers for at least six months.

The Go8 universities have been hardest hit by the pandemic travel restrictions that are ravaging university budgets. The five largest members – the universities of Melbourne, Monash, Queensland, Sydney and UNSW Sydney – have each estimated that they face revenue shortfalls of between A$240 million and A$600 million (£126 million to £314 million) this year, with the losses likely to compound over the next few years.

The report acknowledges that prolonged border closures and social distancing measures would “threaten the viability” of Australian tertiary education. “One-fourth of total university revenue comes from overseas student fees,” it notes.

“Alongside critical health and epidemiological considerations, there is a need for early decision-making about when and how international students return to Australia for on-campus learning.”

Ravi Lochan Singh, president of the Association of Australian Education Representatives in India, said the Go8’s advice suggested hopes for a late 2020 intake of international students were now dashed.

He said this was a “pity”, as a “mini” intake in November – with students tested for infection before leaving their home countries and quarantined and perhaps tested again on arrival in Australia – would have provided an opportunity to “test” such measures ahead of a larger intake in 2021.

The Go8 report advises the government to choose between two options: virus elimination or “controlled adaption”. Taskforce co-chair Vicki Thomson said the report focused on both health and economic objectives.

“Understanding that the government had already ruled out the so-called ‘let it rip’ herd immunity option, our researchers concluded that there were two viable options to move Australia forward,” said Ms Thomson, the Go8’s chief executive.

The report says losses in university research and teaching capacity will “greatly hinder” economic recovery and long-term prosperity. Federal and state government assistance will be needed to “support a swift return to capacity in both teaching and R&D”.

john.ross@timeshighereducation.com