I agree with a little.... Australian universities have never been high quality, nor does Oz have a good quality system (more credentialled inputs), in my own experience from early 80s, half teaching/lecturing personnel were sub-optimal, and with permanent tenure... for a course costing now $25k p.a.

Almoost coincidentally one can find pockets of 'quality' in universities, TAFE and also the private sector, with the latter having examples of shoddy through to the brilliant (but our quality system cannot discriminate between).

Much international recruitment is about the bottom line from the top, focusing upon sales from markets already developed e.g. China, India etc. easier but compromises diversity, as unis are incapable of marketing for diversity... becomes more about personal survival till retirement (while Oz youth demographics alone cannot support system let alone ageing population).

Like 'immigration, 'international education','international students' etc., 'education agents' not only carry negative connotations (thanks to the white nativist lobby) but the latter are blamed by universities, media etc., yet it is universities who manage agents via vetting and contracts? This is by system of sales targets and demands for aggressive short term promotion and sales (as did Austrade).... then any (negative) results are apportioned to agents, or even students themselves...

Quality management in Oz education, let alone universities, is not well developed, and for fees being charged Oz (and other) students should look at Europe for quality and value, or even better do technical or vocational training for a real skill (you can attend university anytime)

Associate Professor Murray Hunter says "Academic standards have slipped ever since the influx of massive numbers of foreign students. Higher education is not what it was before". That may be true at his institution, Universiti Malaysia Perlis < "http://ikom.unimap.edu.my/index.php/staff-directory/academic > , but is not my experience in Australia. Australian academics are respected by the community (look at them all on the TV News) and by students.

The classes I teach have about 25% international students, but this has not resulted in a drop in standards and instead has increased them. This has forced an improvement in the quality of teaching and assessment.

Language proficiency is an issue with international students (and also many domestic students). I give my students small writing exercises early in a course and send those who are having difficulty off for remedial writing classes. Some programs include compulsory "professional communication" courses for all students.

Professor Hunter's proposal for 'special English' in teaching would undermine the value of an Australian university education for international students, who can gain greater proficiency in the use of English for their future workplace. The training of university educators does include advice on the use of language and providing students with additional support, such as glossaries of special terms.

There are incentives for academics to improve teaching methods and there has been considerable experimentation with flipped classrooms, e-leaning and blended learning (I gave up giving "lectures" in 2009 < https://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Lecture_2.0#Example_4:_My_last_lecture >). I don't think today's students read less, it is just that academics have a more realistic idea of what students actually do. Some academics have difficulty coping with this new world of metrics and mobiles, but formal training in how to teach helps.

The field of Entrepreneurship (singled out by Professor Hunter) is one in which I believe Australia universities (in particular in Canberra) are making a considerable contribution. Recently I dropped in on the Cambridge University Entrepreneurial School and did not see anything to rival Canberra's blending of university and business at the Canberra Innovation Network (CBRIN): http://blog.highereducationwhisperer.com/2015/04/designing-innovation-course-part-3.html#cbb