The “Fortress Australia” mentality is doing major damage to our education sector and it could take years to fix, according to a data analyst.

Nationwide, there are 1.6 million students across under-graduate and post-graduate courses – and more than a third come from overseas.

Grafa data analyst Dan Petrie told Perth LIVE’s Oliver Peterson, those students are now opting to complete their studies elsewhere – including the US and UK – as Australia’s strict border controls continue.

“Whilst the pandemic we’re dealing with is very, very serious, there’s an economic cost, and that economic cost is going to take a really long time to fix,” he said.

“Given the fact that so many students – we’re in a very, very competitive market – with so many universities overseas.

“This is certainly not a great look in terms of that “Fortress Australia” mentality which really is strangling international arrivals. It might not be popular to talk about, but we can’t avoid it.”

He says, West Australian universities have been particularly reliant on international students – and are in desperate need of a solution – to a problem that’s having an impact on the wider economy.

“We do need to have some sort of pragmatism about how we do it – and the vaccine rollout is so critical,” he said.

Press PLAY to hear Dan Petrie’s full interview