Neil Mitchell has clashed with one of Australia’s leading advocates for international students over the Victorian government’s bid to bring them back into the state from next month.

Under the state government plan, a quarantine hotel would be opened exclusively for international students and “economic cohorts”.

The group would come on top of the existing cap of 1000 arrivals per week.

“Obviously, they’re not going to be allowed to come in unless they’ve been totally COVID checked before they arrive and they’ll be put straight into quarantine for two weeks and tested right throughout,” Phil Honeywood, CEO of the International Education Association of Australia, explained on 3AW Mornings.

But Neil Mitchell has questioned whether it’s worth the risk, given the state’s record at managing quarantine.

“OK, so we’ll pull up the drawbridge and go to ‘Fortress Australia’ and ignore 240,000 Australian jobs in this industry and the hundreds of millions of dollars invested in student apartments and invested in small businesses that rely totally on international education,” Mr Honeywood said sarcastically in response.

A willing debate ensued.

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