Global Horizons - The Australian International Education Podcast

It’s the first Global Horizons News episode of 2026, and Rob Malicki and Dirk Mulder are back at the desk with that familiar mix of “happy new year” energy and “wait, what changed while we were away?” realism. They start with PRISMS and a South Asia assessment-level update that feels, frankly, out of cycle and out of sync. The headline move is Bangladesh, which only recently moved up, now dropping...

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 s...

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 tw...

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 univers...

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”. I...

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 do...

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...

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 trut...

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...

We recorded this episode in Macquarie University’s central courtyard, a place that feels like home to both of us. Tanveer has spent 17 years here, through new vice-chancellors, rebuilt precincts and a metro line that now puts the campus 18 minutes from the CBD. He laughs that it feels like working for three or four different organisations, because the thinking and the work keep evolving. Then he t...

It’s day two of the AIEC conference in Canberra, and co-hosts Rob Malicki and Dirk Mulder have barely caught their breath. The expo hall’s buzzing, the NOSC allocations have just dropped, and everyone’s trying to figure out what it all means. From the latest on the government’s New Overseas Student Commencement numbers to AI quietly making visa decisions, this episode of Global Horizons takes you...

When Pamela Baxter first came to Australia, it was as a wide-eyed traveller with a backpack and a dream. Decades later, she’s back, this time as Chief Product Officer at Cambridge University Press & Assessment, with a front-row seat to some of the biggest shifts happening in global education. In this episode of Global Horizons , Pamela joins host Rob Malicki in Canberra to talk about the chang...

You’ve sorted your sessions, booked your flights — now it’s time to talk about the fun stuff. In this AIEC Warm-Up episode, I’m joined by Catania Aviles, Conference Manager for the Australian International Education Conference, to give you the inside scoop on all the socials at this year’s event in Canberra. From florals to flannels, cocktails to costumes, Catania takes us behind the scenes of the...

When you think of AIEC, you probably think of universities, agents and policy debates — but there’s another powerhouse quietly shaping Australia’s international education story: the schools sector. In this AIEC warm-up episode, I sit down with Linda Vaughn, long-time international education professional and champion of public schooling, to unpack what’s in store for Schools Day at this year’s Aust...

INCOMING!!! AIEC is now only a little over a week away. The organising teams from IDP and IEAA are in the locker rooms, stretching their hamstrings and getting ready to hit the field. So to preview a little of what to expect, I'm going to be doing a series of "mini-pods" over the coming days. Today I'm joined by Kirrilee Hughes, IEAA's Research Manager, to talk about all thin...

When you sit down with someone whose life has been shaped by travel, chance encounters, and a willingness to say “yes,” you know the conversation will be full of surprises. That’s exactly what happened when I finally had the chance to properly chat with Johan Arnberg. We’ve crossed paths for years in international education, but this was the first time to really dig into his story — and what a sto...

There's so much attention on TNE right now, and maybe there's never been a more important time to be catching up with colleagues to work through the challenges. In this special micro-podcast, as part of our AIEC Warm Up series, Rob Malicki is joined by Peter Harris, TNE legend and Exec Director of Future Students at UTS College, to have a quick chat about what's on the agenda at AIEC a...

Christmas might still be months away, but in Australian international education the festive season seems to have arrived early. In this packed episode of Global Horizons , Rob Malicki and Dirk Mulder cover a whirlwind of updates that have the sector buzzing. From fresh NOSC data and state-federal tensions to language-learning fun and award-season celebrations, there’s plenty to unwrap. Highlights...

When Anita Van Rooyen tells you she used to be cripplingly shy, it’s hard to believe. Today she’s a dynamo of confidence—helping students everywhere discover their own courage and voice. I met Anita at a conference and was instantly struck by her energy. In this conversation she shares the turning points that took her from saying “no” to everything to becoming a sought-after coach transforming stu...

It's been a huge week in international education, and big stories have been dropping like the Sydney rain that flooded the city this week! In this episode, Rob Malicki (The Global Society) and Dirk Mulder (The Koala News) are talking housing supply, strategic plans, TEQSA changes, details of several reports that have dropped, and changes to international student flows. Plus, we're joined b...

When you sit down with Liam Prince, you quickly realise he’s a man of many retirements... at least, that’s how he frames the long list of niche passions he’s already lining up for the years ahead. From transcribing centuries-old folk music, to pressing for Australia’s archives to finally open up on the events of 1965, Liam’s outlook is anything but conventional. But then again, how could it be? Th...

They’re calling us crooks. They’re dragging ghost colleges and sex trafficking scandals back into the headlines. And they’re using 2-year-old reports to do it. In this episode of Global Horizons, Dirk Mulder and Rob Malicki peel back the media spin, political rhetoric, and tired narratives muddying Australia’s international education sector — and reveal the truth behind the headlines. The data’s f...

What do national museums, cruise ships, Anzac soldiers, and student job readiness have in common? Derryn Belford. From building the National Anzac Centre in Albany to spearheading hotel development in Perth and now leading StudyPerth, Derryn’s journey is anything but ordinary. In this wide-ranging and illuminating conversation, we dive deep into the mind of a strategic thinker whose career has bee...

It's been a big couple of weeks with some important changes in three separate parts of Australian international education. On the inbound side, the Australian Government has announced the new National Planning Levels. There are also important changes to English Language testing (more on that in a second). Finally, the 2026 New Colombo Plan guidelines are out and... you guessed it! .. there are...

From the beer business to international education, Julian Longbottom’s career has been anything but predictable—and that’s exactly what makes this episode so good. In this wide-ranging conversation, Rob sits down with Julian to unpack a life of unexpected pivots, bold strategies, and smart innovation—from launching Carlton Cold and Carlton Mid, to helping transform the University of Canberra’s rep...