Student Accommodation Council Executive Director Dr Adele Lausberg said it was critical that international students were not treated as interchangeable with other migration streams in debates about housing affordability.
"International students are temporary visitors, and in Australia many live in purpose‑built student accommodation that has been deliberately designed to keep student demand out of the private rental market," Dr Lausberg said.
The renewed debate comes as population growth, housing supply and infrastructure capacity remain central to the national conversation.
Dr Lausberg said evidence consistently showed international students were not a primary driver of housing unaffordability.
"We know through research undertaken by Mandala Partners on behalf of the Student Accommodation Council that international students account for around 6 per cent of Australia's total rental market," she said.
"That context matters, particularly when students are increasingly housed in accommodation built specifically for them, rather than competing with local renters."
The discussion follows recent reporting in The Guardian examining Canada's decision to sharply cut migration in response to housing pressures, and the mixed outcomes of that approach.
Dr Lausberg said international comparisons with Canada often overlooked a key structural difference.
"Canada restricted student migration in the absence of dedicated student housing. Australia has built it and continues to build."
Australia now has 134,000 student‑only beds in operation, with around 40,000 more in the development pipeline, directly linking international education demand to new housing supply rather than consuming existing rental stock.
Investment confidence in the sector has strengthened significantly, with purpose‑built student accommodation transaction volumes reaching $1.8 billion in 2025, up from $116 million in 2024, reflecting sustained institutional investment in a unique asset class helping to solve the housing crisis.
"International education is one of Australia's most valuable export industries, worth $53.6 billion in the 2024-25 financial year. It supports jobs, construction activity, productivity and long‑term housing supply. We need nuance in the immigration debate to ensure students are not targeted unfairly."
Dr Lausberg said policy responses relying on blunt levers, including stop‑start visa settings, risk creating uncertainty without addressing delivery challenges.
"If Australia wants a fair housing system and a sustainable international education sector, purpose‑built student accommodation must be treated as essential infrastructure, not an afterthought."
