"I don't knowtimberland boots ukany of these people. I'm a stranger in my own home." Yet Minnie is not alone. Student housing in Australia is in the midst of a silent crisis -- a crisis that could cripple the nation ' s booming international education industry. While Sydney house prices soar, a battle is being waged at the bottom of the spectrum, a battle that international students are ill-equipped to fight. Market analyst Catherine Cashmore puts it this way"Students in Queensland have described the market under 300 Australian dollars 'war like', and as for Melbourne and Sydney it all comes down to the standard ofmulberry bags outletaccommodation you want to call home." Cashmore says that in Melbourne "if you're halfway fussy perhaps requiring good proximity to transport, a modest balcony, or internal floor space over 40 square meters, You'll be hard pushed to get a one-bedroom apartment in original un-renovated condition under a minimum of $350 per week". In Sydney, the challenge is dire. An ongoing battle for living conditions between the 450 and 500 Australian dollars per week target -- a figure daunting to ordinary workers, is heart-breaking for local students and downright impossible for mostwomens nike free run 2international students. Before assuming power this month, Australia's new government under Prime Minister Tony Abbott has floated the notion of a reverse "Colombo Plan" to drive student exchanges between Australia and Asia. Abbott's stated goal that "within 20 years (Australia) could be educating two to three million Asian students" reflects the value of Australia's export education industry. An industry that is already Australia's third largest export industry contributing more than 16 billion Australian dollars to the economy and over 100,000 jobs. Importantly, these suggestionscheap nike air max 2012reflect the realization that as Australia enters the "Asian Century", this industry has reached a watershed moment requiring a new strategic approach. This is especially the case given recent weakness in the sector and intensifying global competition for international students. The international education industry is now receiving renewed attention but there has yet to be a focus on specialized student housing. According to George Bougias, senior economist at property analysts Charterkc,"This is a major oversight given student housing is a critical factor contributing to the overallhermes replicacompetiveness of the industry." The Aussie education industry was supposed to be entering its golden age of internationalism, sitting in pole position as the race toward what Australians have coined the "Asian Century" begins in earnest. However, a string of false starts and near misses has all but undermined that transition. A burgeoning Australian dollar, branding damage caused by attacks on international students - both Chinese and Indian, the collapse of private colleges, and unpredictable regulatory tweaks to both student and skilled migration policy have delivered a clear dropmbt ukin student numbers. The number of full-fee international student enrollments in Australia (351,800) declined -8.5 percent in the year to March 2012 (in contrast to +6.5 percent p.a. growth since 2002) while the number of commencements also declined -7.2 percent (compared to +4.8 percent p.a. growth since 2002). After several years of robust growth the number of international students enrolled ( onshore) in Melbourne also stopped increasing in 2011. Students like Minnie, have little time to ponder the eddies and tides within the broader industry -- what matters for the thousandsgucci outlet onlineof Australia bound students are the simple things. And they begin and end with secure, affordable housing.

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