Mike Ferguson on International Education Policy, Co-Design, and What Governments Can (and Can’t) Do

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.

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  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 [e-mail]