Labor’s caps on international students are on the brink of defeat. Will they now act in the national interest? | George Williams

George Williams AO is the vice-chancellor of Western Sydney University .

He says the defeat of the government’s proposed caps on international student numbers provides the nation with an important opportunity for a reset and policy reconsideration.

The student cap wasn’t subject to proper consultation, he says.

Williams says the government's formula for determining the international student caps was always flawed, rushed and blunt.