In this episode of Global Horizons, Peter and I wander through three and a half decades of international education, from the days when Wollongong was considered “aggressive” for opening an office in Japan, to the launch and heartbreaking end of The Scholar Ship, to his 15 years shaping JMC’s international work in the creative industries. Along the way we talk about caps, fairness, and why policy settings have hit the private sector so much harder than universities.

You will hear us dig into:

• How The Scholar Ship created a “university at sea” focused on intercultural leadership, and why the GFC and oil prices brought it undone

• What it felt like to watch that ship sail into Sydney Harbour and realise you had helped build something genuinely world class

• The leap from federal government land surveyor to running Wollongong’s Japan office, and then setting up ANU’s regional office in Bangkok

• The strange joy and terror of consulting life, from currency swings that wipe out your margin overnight to clients who keep pulling you back

• Why Peter fell in love with Japan, Sweden and Vietnam, and what those countries taught him about creative talent and mobility

  
  

From there we shift into the creative industries and the future. Peter reflects on 15 years at JMC, why he is bullish on performance and the arts in an age of AI and virtual production, and how Swedish arts high schools and emerging Vietnamese creatives are reshaping the pipeline of global talent. Music is still music, he argues, and performance is still performance, even if the tools keep changing.

We also get very real about the past few years in Australia:

• How the student caps and immigration debates have disproportionately damaged the private sector

• The quiet injustice of private provider students being shut out of the New Colombo Plan and OS-HELP

• Why Peter thinks Australia’s historic strength in relationship building is being undermined by bureaucracy and short term politics

• The danger of becoming a “fairweather friend” to partners who remember who stuck with them when times were hard

One of my favourite parts of the conversation is Peter’s story of COVID at JMC. While others were cutting, he bet that, like previous crises, the downturn would last about two years. JMC kept its international team intact, especially in-country staff in Indonesia and Malaysia, moved people onto projects where needed, and doubled down on relationships. The result was their best ever international intake in February 2022, up 35 per cent on 2019.

We finish with advice for students and early career professionals. It is simple and hard to argue with: go somewhere. It does not have to be Australia, or any particular country. Just go. Peter went to Japan with a backpack and a bit of Japanese, and everything that followed, from Bangkok to Latin America to the creative industries, unfolded from that single decision to leave home.

Global Horizons is a production of The Global Society, Australia’s Learning Abroad support company. Our editor is Len Zamora and our distribution specialist is Angelo Ablao. Rob Malicki is the executive editor and host. The podcast wouldn’t be possible without The Koala News, Australia’s international education news website. This episode is supported by Choosing Your Uni, Australia's unique, AI-powered platform that helps domestic and international students to find the right institution for them, and that helps Australian institutions to access new markets. For guest suggestions and feedback, email podcast@globalsociety.com.au

On the way back from his honeymoon, Mike Ferguson and his wife are walking across a square, headed for the airport.

Two guys come up from behind.

A knife to his throat. A gun to his wife’s head.

And somehow, unbelievably, what follows is not just a story about being mugged, it’s a story about negotiation, keeping your head, and walking away with the things that actually matter. Including, in a twist I genuinely did not see coming.

This episode starts with that kind of energy and then keeps going. Because Mike is one of those people who, the more you talk, the more you realise he’s lived about five careers and 60 countries worth of stories.

He’s worked in government, including designing the simplified student visa system, and he’s now on the university side, which means he can see the cracks, the incentives, and the misunderstandings from both directions.

Along the way, we get into the stuff the sector often talks around, but rarely says plainly: what public servants can actually commit to, why policy “boom and bust” cycles keep repeating, and why genuine consultation is not a nice-to-have, it’s the whole game.

A few highlights to listen out for:

• The honeymoon mugging story, including how you “negotiate” your way out of a nightmare.

• Mike’s case for broader engagement, consultation, and genuine co-design between government and sector, especially when integrity and sustainability are on the line

• • A lighter moment that still says a lot: childhood dreams of being a bus driver and a train driver, which might explain more about international education careers than we’d like to admit.

  
  

  It’s part travel yarn, part policy masterclass, and part reminder that international education is, at its best, built on relationships, trust, and shared goals.

• 
  

  Global Horizons is a production of The Global Society, Australia’s Learning Abroad support company. Our editor is Len Zamora and our distribution specialist is Angelo Ablao.

  Rob Malicki is the executive editor and host.

  The podcast wouldn’t be possible without The Koala News, Australia’s international education news website.

  This episode is supported by Choosing Your Uni, Australia's unique, AI-powered platform that helps domestic and international students to find the right institution for them, and that helps Australian institutions to access new markets.

  For guest suggestions and feedback, email podcast@globalsociety.com.au

G'day and welcome to Season 4 of the Global Horizons podcast!

To open up the season, Rob Malicki reflects on some of the highlights from Australian higher education from the past 12 months.

Over the past 12 months, the narrative of universities "losing their social licence" was shown to be a simply ridiculous, click-bait headline.

Here's the proof:

In the latest data, our universities taught 1,676,077 students, up 4.7%, with success also up, at 87.9% and attrition down to 12.2%.

Equity and access to higher education also moved: more First Nations, low-SES, regional and disability students getting in, and through.Institutions invested, and built, in some bigger projects than ever before: Adelaide University launches on 1 January 2026, and Edith Cowan University's $853m City campus is already energising Perth’s CBD... and it hasn't even opened yet!

Deakin University and the University of Wollongong are building real campuses in India, not fly-in deals.

Monash University is investing a Billion (yes, capital "B"!) in TRX Kuala Lumpur... such a big commitment that even the Prime Minister turned up to back it.

In the labs and libraries across Australia, our researchers continued to punch well above their weight, delivering a Nobel prize, state prizes, and countless breakthroughs from CO2 concrete to soil ecology to brain cancer.

Looking at rankings, and Australia continues to slay on a global scale. Six unis in THE top 100, ten in the top 200, and 97% of public universities ranked globally. If we look at sustainability and climate action rankings, our institutions are leading the world at just the right time, when humanity needs it most.

International education has had a mixed year (read the article by Dirk Mulder in The Koala News for the best summary of that). But on the domestic front, students are better protected and supported now than when the year began: the National Student Ombudsman is live, HELP indexation has been fixed, and the Commonwealth Prac Payments (a BRILLIANT and long overdue addition to our system) are underway. Those initiatives deserve some flames (so I'll oblige: 🔥🔥🔥).

If we truly care about Australia’s future, our university sector is the one doing the heavy lifting. It's educating our people, and driving research and innovation. In short, it's setting us up for the future. And there can't be a better way to fulfil a social license than that.

When we sat down to record this episode, it felt a bit like opening a time capsule from twelve months ago and asking, “So, how wrong were we?”

At the end of 2024, Dirk predicted a country divided into two halves, pre-election and post-election, with migration politics sitting right in the middle of it all. I went the other way and suggested life in the sector might simply slide back to “normal”. In this end-of-year wrap for 2025, we revisit those predictions, look at what actually happened, and try our luck again for 2026.

We start with the big structural shifts that have shaped the year. The ESOS bill, national code changes and constant migration rhetoric have all put pressure on different corners of the sector, from public universities with level one allocations to ELICOS, colleges and private VET providers, whose backs are firmly against the wall. At the same time, purpose-built student accommodation has been booming, TNE has become the new frontier, and TAFE has suddenly become the star of a lot more domestic conversations than it used to.

In this episode we get into:

• Policy and politics: ESOS reforms, looming national code changes in early 2026, and why migration is still the easiest lever for politicians to pull, even when the public seems tired of the debate.

• Winners and strugglers: Why public universities feel relatively comfortable, while ELICOS providers, English-only colleges and parts of private VET are staring down some real pain.

• Higher education shake-ups: From the UniSA and University of Adelaide merger and restructures at Western Sydney, to the quiet turbulence inside a range of institutions that do not always make the headlines.

• New builds and new bets: Edith Cowan’s striking new CBD campus in Perth and the broader re-shaping of the city, plus the rapid expansion of TNE in India, Southeast Asia and the Middle East, and what “TNE done well” actually has to look like.

• TAFE and the domestic pivot: The rise of trades, free or fully subsidised TAFE places, and why parents, students and careers advisers are talking about vocational routes in a very different way.

• AI hype and reality: Rob's prediction that we are heading into a disillusionment phase for AI, even as something genuinely game-changing is likely to land in the next twelve months, especially in video and teaching.

  
  

We also take a moment to look behind the microphones. Dirk opens up about the growth of The Koala News, from a gap he spotted in the market to a fully fledged independent news outlet with hundreds of thousands of views and 1.4 million events on the site this year, and why he launched a supporters campaign to keep independent media healthy.

And because it would not be a Global Horizons wrap without a bit of chaos, we finish with our annual outtakes reel.

Global Horizons is a production of The Global Society, Australia’s Learning Abroad support company. Our editor is Len Zamora and our distribution specialist is Angelo Ablao. Rob Malicki is the executive editor and host. The podcast wouldn’t be possible without The Koala News, Australia’s international education news website. This episode is supported by Choosing Your Uni, Australia's unique, AI-powered platform that helps domestic and international students to find the right institution for them, and that helps Australian institutions to access new markets.

For guest suggestions and feedback, email podcast@globalsociety.com.au

When James Martin says that AI has decimated web traffic for universities, he is not being dramatic. In the space of a year, how to articles and evergreen web pages have been quietly pushed aside by AI summaries and chatbots, and a whole lot of marketing strategies are suddenly looking very 2019.

So what do you do when you cannot rely on Google anymore?

In this episode of Global Horizons, I sit down again with James Martin, managing director at Insider and self-confessed content tragic, to unpack what is really happening in the world of content right now, and what it means for universities and international education. We dig into the collapse in organic search, why AI engine optimisation is the new buzzword, and why James believes your greatest secret weapon is not your website at all, but your students.

Along the way we get into the messy, practical reality of user generated content. The tension between funny, throwaway TikToks and serious storytelling about the journey into, through and beyond uni. The pain of trying to turn well meaning ambassadors into content creators. And the opportunity that opens up when you treat student stories as a strategic asset, rather than a nice extra when someone happens to send you a video.

You will hear us explore:

• How AI summaries and chat tools are stripping away 10 to 30 per cent of web traffic from some universities, and what that does to traditional content strategies

• Why Reddit and other public platforms are suddenly more influential in AI answers than your carefully crafted blog posts

• The power of students as a trust engine, and why James calls authentic student stories the new currency in marketing

• The common mistakes universities make with UGC, from throwing everything at ambassadors to ignoring training and editing

• How to think about content pillars, decision stages and platforms so your TikToks, Reels, campus tours and long form YouTube videos are all pulling in the same direction

• The nuts and bolts of repurposing one great story into multiple formats, languages and channels without cannibalising your brand

• Why I am experimenting with my own AI avatar on campus, and what happens when AI can generate complete videos at the click of a prompt

• James’s prediction for the next 12 months of content: a flood of AI generated junk, and a premium on anything that feels genuinely human

  
  

If you are working in international student recruitment, marketing, future student engagement or content creation of any kind, this conversation is part reality check, part playbook. James’s core message is simple but challenging: AI is here, the flood of content is coming, and the only way to cut through is to lean harder into authenticity, trust and the lived experiences of your own students.

Global Horizons is a production of The Global Society, Australia’s Learning Abroad support company. Our editor is Len Zamora and our distribution specialist is Gelo Ablao. Rob Malicki is the executive editor and host. The podcast wouldn’t be possible without The Koala News, Australia’s international education news website. This episode is supported by Choosing Your Uni, Australia's unique, AI-powered platform that helps domestic and international students to find the right institution for them, and that helps Australian institutions to access new markets.

For guest suggestions and feedback, email podcast@globalsociety.com.au

Australia keeps saying it wants a “Future Made in Australia”. But what happens when you starve the labs, research institutes and universities that are supposed to build that future, while talking tough on “integrity” and migration instead?

In this episode of Global Horizons, Dirk Mulder and Rob Malicki unpack the Senate committee’s final report on the Education Legislation Amendment (Integrity and Other Measures) Bill, and what the so called “final hearing” really means for international education, universities and research in Australia.

They trace the politics behind the ESOS changes, the push to give the minister sweeping powers, and the convenient narrative that keeps framing students as the problem, while much bigger issues in the migration system are left largely untouched.

Along the way, they connect the dots to the CSIRO job cuts, Australia’s anaemic research investment and a public debate that keeps missing the point on university surpluses and social licence.

In this wide ranging conversation, Rob and Dirk move from Parliament House to the lab bench to Circular Quay, where they also reflect on the NSW International Education Awards and what genuine sector leadership looks like.

In this episode, you will hear:

• Why the Senate committee has recommended the ESOS integrity bill pass “as is”, despite serious concerns from the sector

• How expanded ministerial powers risk undermining procedural fairness and certainty for institutions and students

• The growing problem with the “integrity” narrative around agents, commissions and international students

• The massive visa backlog that no one wants to talk about, and the curious lack of focus on graduate visas

• Why university surpluses are not the smoking gun people think they are, and what really drives uni finances

• How CSIRO job cuts reveal a research system “running dangerously low on fuel”

• What it would actually mean to treat research funding as core national infrastructure

• Victoria’s refresh of its international education strategy and why you should have your say

• A snapshot from the NSW International Education Awards, including Dirk’s quietly awkward moment as a finalist

If you care about the future of Australian higher education, international students and research, this is one of those episodes that helps you see how all the threads tie together, from Senate hearings to social licence to who actually pays for the ideas that power our economy.

Global Horizons is a production of The Global Society, Australia’s Learning Abroad support company. Our editor is Len Zamora and our distribution specialist is Angelo Ablao. Rob Malicki is the executive editor and host. The podcast wouldn’t be possible without The Koala News, Australia’s international education news website. This episode is supported by Choosing Your Uni, Australia's unique, AI-powered platform that helps domestic and international students to find the right institution for them, and that helps Australian institutions to access new markets.

For guest suggestions and feedback, email podcast@globalsociety.com.au

When Elissa Newall from Edified walks into a room, you know you’re about to learn something meaningful about the international education sector.

Fresh off the release of Edified’s newest global Mystery Shopper results presented at AIEC, Elissa breaks down what’s really happening when prospective students reach out to universities. The wins, the misses, the opportunities, and the uncomfortable truths we avoid until the data forces us to look directly at them.

We unpack why student engagement has improved worldwide, why Australian universities now lead on personalised communication, and why WhatsApp is quietly becoming the most powerful recruitment channel in the sector.

We talk human connection, the X-factor students are hungry for, and why a warm, tailored message can be worth far more than a lightning-fast reply.

And then we widen the lens. Elissa shares her honest concerns about where the sector is heading, the challenges we keep cycling through without solving, and what it might look like if Australia actually aligned around a shared national purpose for international education.

It’s sharp, insightful, and absolutely packed with actionable intelligence.

In this episode, we cover:

• The newest findings from Edified’s global Mystery Shopper program

• Why personalised responses are 7x more influential than fast ones

• The rise of WhatsApp as the most effective student engagement channel

• How universities can humanise their enquiry responses without adding workload

• What Australian institutions are doing better than anyone else right now

• Why students increasingly want “the insider view” – not generic info

• The deeper sector-wide challenges we still haven’t solved

• How international education could play a bigger national role if we aligned around shared goals

If you care about student experience, future-proofing recruitment, or understanding where international education is heading, this conversation is unmissable.

Global Horizons is a production of The Global Society, Australia’s Learning Abroad support company. Our editor is Len Zamora and our distribution specialist is Gelo Ablao. Rob Malicki is the executive editor and host. The podcast wouldn’t be possible without The Koala News, Australia’s international education news website. This episode is supported by Choosing Your Uni, Australia's unique, AI-powered platform that helps domestic and international students to find the right institution for them, and that helps Australian institutions to access new markets.

For guest suggestions and feedback, email podcast@globalsociety.com.au

In this episode of Global Horizons, Rob Malicki and Koala News founder Dirk Mulder unpack what MD 115 really does, where the tech and systems may not be keeping up, and why some of this feels more like political theatre than serious system reform.

Highlights in this episode include:

• How one tiny forgotten setting killed their live recording in front of work experience students

• What MD 115 actually changes, and how the new processing “lanes” could play out in practice

• Why the ESOS reforms have been bundled with other legislation, and what that means for timing and scrutiny

• The optics of a billion dollar Australian campus in Malaysia at the same time as “social licence” debates at home

• Whether AI driven verification can genuinely free up staff to focus on students, rather than just cut teams

• The return of a national student voice and why it matters that international students are back at the policy table

There is plenty of policy in this episode, but also plenty of raised eyebrows, uncomfortable questions and a few good laughs at their own expense. If you are trying to make sense of where international education in Australia goes next, this is one of those conversations that helps you see the bigger picture rather than just the latest headline.

Global Horizons is a production of The Global Society, Australia’s Learning Abroad support company. Our editor is Len Zamora and our distribution specialist is Gelo Ablao. Rob Malicki is the executive editor and host. The podcast wouldn’t be possible without The Koala News, Australia’s international education news website. This episode is supported by Choosing Your Uni, Australia's unique, AI-powered platform that helps domestic and international students to find the right institution for them, and that helps Australian institutions to access new markets.

For guest suggestions and feedback, email podcast@globalsociety.com.au