Education is Victoria’s No.1 services export,and schools and universities have both pushed for a timeline on the return of international students,who have been unable to study in Australia during the pandemic.

Victorian universities have lobbied the state government for months and on Tuesday Professor Michael Wesley,Melbourne University’s deputy vice-chancellor (international),reiterated the urgency of the situation and said it was vital international students return “as soon as it is safe and reasonable to do so”.

“The University of Melbourne supports the proposal put forward by the state government and urges the federal government to give it strong consideration,” Professor Wesley toldThe Age.

Victoria’s acting Premier James Merlino pointed to the economic benefits of the proposal and said if the Commonwealth rejected it,the state would not lift the number of stranded Australians allowed to return home.

“This is about creating jobs and opportunities,” he said.

“International students is a vitally important sector. We’ve been talking to universities and industry who are supportive of this program – the ball’s now in the federal government’s court. We have met all the criteria that was set and I’m very hopeful for a positive answer.”

About half of the 120 spaces would be allocated to international students. The government would work with universities to determine which degrees could take precedence.

State Opposition Leader Michael O’Brien said he supported plans to bring back international students,as long as it was not being done at the expense of stranded Victorians.

“Education is Victoria’s biggest services export ... so it’s time for the government to have a plan to safely bring them back,” he said.

“We’ve been very clear,it has to be done safely and it shouldn’t be done at the expense of Victorians looking to return home.”

International Education Association of Australia chief executive Phil Honeywood welcomed the Victorian government’s proposal but said it was tokenistic.

“Victoria in 2019 had upwards of 200,000 full-fee-paying international students,out of the 700,000 nationally,” Mr Honeywood said.

“It’s tokenistic for the time being,but it does send a message overseas that we are beginning to give priority to bringing students back,and that hopefully will create some disincentive for students to choose Canada,the UK,US if they already have a student visa to come back to Australia,if they’re already halfway completing a world-class qualification.”

Mr Honeywood said paying quarantine fees for international students would not be a huge impost on universities.

But he urged the state government to follow through with its commitment to the ailing international education sector and ensure it “is more than rhetoric and part of a well-thought-through plan”.

RMIT and Deakin universities declined to comment. Monash University was also contacted.