TERTIARY Education Minister Chris Evans last week stressed he wanted debate over international education kept separate from that on population.

During the election campaign in August, Opposition Leader Tony Abbott attracted headlines with a warning that overseas student numbers had to be "politically sustainable".

Similarly, the government won popular support for its student visa crackdown, while acknowledging lower numbers would hurt the economy.

However, in a speech at the University of Canberra last week, Senator Evans, the former immigration minister, said student visas were temporary. "They are not included in permanent migration program numbers and we remain committed to maintaining our international student program as an uncapped program," he said.

In a world where competition for human capital was fierce, international education was one of the most important economic reform areas, Senator Evans said.

Opposition universities spokesman Brett Mason said the Coalition strongly supported overseas students and the education export industry was vital to economic prosperity.

However, international students on temporary visas longer than 12 months are automatically included in official net overseas migration figures by the Australian Bureau of Statistics.

"They are inescapably part of the population debate as they are part of our overall population," Senator Mason told the HES.

ABS net migration figures, including international students, rose to 298,900 in the year to 2009, the highest on record. While 40,000 overseas students are seeking permanent residency at present, only 8000 to 10,000 are likely to be granted residency, Monash demographer Bob Birrell said.

The university sector, worried by a 20 per cent plunge in student visa applications and knock-on effects on jobs, has welcomed Senator Evans's promise to protect the education export sector.