In this interview, Adam Creighton appeared on Credlin – Sky News Australia to discuss the IPA’s research on immigration and international students.
All media appearances posted onto the IPA website are directly related to the promotion and dissemination of IPA research.
Below is a transcript of the interview.
Peta Credlin:
Time for dynamic duo, isn’t it? My panel Institute of Public Affairs Chief Economist, a senior fellow as well Adam Creighton and author at The Spectator, Terry Barnes. Well, we’ll go to Jacinta Allan because she’s over in China. She’s trying to paint her new strategy in Beijing as different from Daniel Andrews. It’s not, it’s a carbon copy. It’s probably Belt and Road by stealth on the back of 64,000 Chinese students who she wants to be in and around and grow in Victorian universities. And I tell you what, this is a big problem for Victoria. This is because she’s got failing numbers and red ink as far as the eye can see in her budget. And she’s trying to just backfill it hard with students.
Terry Barnes:
Well, it’s not just the case of getting in more Chinese students though, Peta. I mean 64,000 now and plus whatever. We’re turning our universities into diploma mills for all that. But the other side of it is she’s after Chinese investment in things such as the dud suburban rail loop. I mean, she can’t get Australian investors to get in there. So she’s going for the Chinese. It’s just, I think a joke. And you’re right, it’s built and road without being built and road.
Peta Credlin:
And everyone’s going to have to have a house. Everyone’s going to need a way to get around town. So if you talk about congestion, they add to the congestion. They’re not permanent Australians yet. We know a lot of these students migrate across.
Adam Creighton:
No, certainly that’s true. I think the universities are basically to some extent selling permanent residency as they get two-year work rights at the end. And that’s of course what they really want. But yes, of course there’s so much pressure on housing, pressure on transport, and actually there’s a lot of research out there that says the figures that are put out by the universities and that, you know, the $40-billion industry, blah, blah, blah, that includes the wages for the jobs that they work in. But of course they could be Australians working in those jobs. And also it includes the money that is sent home to China and India through remittances, which is about $20 billion a year. So it’s not the fantastic industry that it’s made out to be. And plus, what does it mean for standards for domestic students? I mean, lots of these students can’t speak English properly, so that means the average quality of the exams attempt to be goes down.
Peta Credlin:
Yes. If you’re in a group project, it’s always one English speaker with a whole lot of foreign kids.
Adam Creighton:
Exactly.
Terry Barnes:
And if you pay for a degree, you expect a result.
Adam Creighton:
Exactly.
Peta Credlin:
All right, go to the ANZ $240 million was the fine whacked on them by ASIC for misconduct, egregious misconduct says ASIC, how come then no one gets a charge?
Adam Creighton:
Well, look, I think the criminal threshold, as you would know, is much higher to meet. But I’m quite a cynic with some of this stuff. I think just these regulators like to make out that their policing these institutions and occasionally they come up with these fines, but really it’s water off a duck’s back for the ANZ. It’s $240 million. This is an institution that makes $7 billion every year in net profit. And if anything, the new leadership of ANZ is probably quite happy because they’re about to sack four and a half thousand people. And so they can say, “Well we need to sack these people to change the culture.” So look, it’s not going to make much difference in the long run. Sorry to be cynical, Peta.
Peta Credlin:
All right, let’s talk about what happened in the UK overnight. I watched the press conference. I thought it was a masterclass by Danny Kruger. I think he’s one of the best of his generation, Terry. And he has left the Tory party now he’s absolutely front and Centre there with Nigel Farage. It says to me that reform is now a force. Let’s have a listen.
Danny Kruger:
I don’t think the conservative party is dead. I just think it’s over as the principle opposition and the principle vehicle of conservatism, the sort of conservatism that I believe in. And I think in reality it is very unlikely that they’re going to recover significantly or soon. I would hope that colleagues who share my view about the crisis that the country is in and the opportunity that the reform offers to save our country at the next election will follow me.
Peta Credlin:
Now, I know we all love conviction politicians, I think he’s the real deal. But people might know his name. I urge you at home if you haven’t, get on YouTube and look at some of the speeches he’s recently given in the Commons. But Terry, what do you think?
Terry Barnes:
Well, look, I think Reform is no longer the Nigel Farage Vanity Project which, I and I think other conservative-leaning people around the world, I think have been sort of accusing it, of being. Danny Kruger is the real deal. He is an intellectual force within the Conservative Party. He’s now going across to the reform, but also saying Conservative Party itself is dead, but conservatism isn’t. And that’s a really powerful message. And it was interesting to see him do that there alongside Nigel Farage. I mean, Nigel is the great seller, the salesman, but he needed something to sell. And this bloke is bringing it.
Peta Credlin:
Just quickly, you reckon you know England well, do you think Reform can win?
Adam Creighton:
Yeah, look, I think they can. I mean, it’s still a couple of years away though, and things change rapidly. I think the big lesson here though is the liberal party here is going to face the same fate as the Tories there, unless they get a spine and actually have something to oppose, which is of course Net Zero and other things. I know you’re on board with that, but they need to learn from this.
Peta Credlin:
It’s sitting there while we remember what it was like when you take the fight up to Labour at Net Zero.
Adam Creighton:
We do.
Peta Credlin:
You can beat them.
Adam Creighton:
Indeed. Indeed.
Peta Credlin:
Right. We’ll leave it there.
This transcript with Adam Creighton talking on Credlin – Sky News Australia from 16 September 2025 has been edited for clarity.
