CDU’S BOLD CITY PLAN
University wants 5000 international students in its city campus by 2025
A CHARLES Darwin University senior official has revealed the university’s bold plans to attract 5000 international students to its new city campus by 2025.
The plans would transform Darwin’s CBD and breathe new life into a stagnating property market.
Deputy vice-chancellor Andrew Everett said the university was moving forward with plans for the $430 million campus, with first work on the project potentially beginning before Christmas.
The plans coincide with a change to visas for students studying in regional Australia.
According to the federal Education Department, international students who study, live and work in regional areas would be eligible for a temporary graduate visa with an extra year of post-study work rights.
This is available to the first eligible cohort of graduates from 2021.
Mr Everett said thousands of international students at the city campus would “transform” Darwin.
“Having a few thousand people at the CBD, it’s going to be a different Darwin,” he said.
“It’s not going to be backpacker-type people that are here for maybe a couple of weeks or a few weeks, these people will be here for up to three or four years.”
Mr Everett said the new campus would have a flow-on effect for CBD businesses.
“Potentially it’s at least adding probably 50 per cent of growth to the student body in terms of people in classes, in the libraries, getting haircuts, getting taxis, buying groceries,” he said.
“Whether it be at the university or in Darwin, everyone’s going to benefit.”
About 1000 beds were planned on campus but Mr Everett said there was talk of releasing more in stages.
He said the accommodation would be different to what is available now.
Real Estate Institute of the NT chief executive Quentin Kilian said the city’s residential property market would benefit in multiple ways.
“It does offer the opportunity for developers to start looking at developing specific student accommodation,” he said.
“That might be converting an old commercial building for instance.
“When the city becomes more enlivened, it then starts to attract younger people back to the city who are working in the city, looking for jobs.
“That’s the sort of clientele that’s likely to start picking up those private rentals in town so one feeds the other.”
“It’s going to be a different Darwin” ANDREW EVERETT, CDU DEPUTY VICE- CHANCELLOR