Locking down the country to impress One Nation voters, what a great idea

I mean, probably fair enough for coursework degrees. But I hope there’s some common sense around higher degree research students.

PhDs are basically skilled employees, in my work we’ve brought in PhD students from Europe (and elsewhere) with quite specific skills. Often these “students” are a fair bit older, and are more likely than undergrads to have started families.

i don’t even understand why you were able to bring in family (tourist visa aside to come visit) as a student.

Sure if you have a work visa (and even then i’d restrict it to wife and kids only) but as a student ?