Each year since 2001 the numbers of international students have increased at a steady and consistent rate. The ‘industry’ really only began in this century, however, long before that the international education sector was a thriving and beneficial part of education in Australia. The international education sectors main change over the last 57 years however is its focus from being a development program, ‘the Colombo Plan’, to a revenue program, ‘the international education industry’.

The Colombo Plan was introduced originally in 1951 to provide cooperative economic developmental aid to countries on a

bilateral basis, involving all Commonwealth countries as well as all countries in South and South East Asia, the United

States of America and Japan. Australia’s involvement provided education aid to countries within the region, contributing to

these countries’ socio-economic development. However the benefit for Australia was the development of the graduates

economic, political and personal connections.

Since 1986, Australian education has seen increasing growth in the private or fee paying international education sector, now

known as an industry. A major contributor to the Australian economy, delivering approximately $11 billion into the

economy in 2007, this industry has gone from being one of the fastest growing in the service area to the third highest export

market in Australia. Mr Eric Yenz Pang, NLC National Convenor asserts that "

is usually the main focus for most media and stakeholder attention and the broader benefits to the Australian community are

usually overlooked."