Winners and losers

EDUCATION has become Australia’s third largest export earner at $28 billion in 2016. The growth of the University of Tasmania has been spectacular, and the character of Hobart has been altered. We have become a university town. As with all booms, there are winners and losers. The character of the university has also altered, and the massive influx of funds from full-fee paying overseas students seems to have moved it from an academic focus to a real estate focus. The hunger for students puts on pressure to reduce entry requirements, which runs the risk of downgrading the reputation of the university. The expansion has contributed to the real estate price hike and rental shortage and put the university on a collision course with tour-