Celebrating 25 years of Australia Go

Australia Go is celebrating 25 Years of empowering international students and Australian education providers, creating more opportunities for skilled migrants and providing support and guidance.

The company story

In 1992, when I first arrived in Australia to study English at Bond University, I was stepping into the unknown. Back then, there was no internet, no Google Maps, and certainly no YouTube campus tours. What I had was a paper map, a few brochures sent by post, and a surfing magazine ad that read: “Study and Surf in Paradise.” It was everything I needed.

I organised my enrolment via an agency in Sao Paulo, by post, phone and fax. Thanks to the support from my parents at the time, my first student visa was approved.

Armed with curiosity, I navigated the Gold Coast with a pen and a folded map, bought my first second-hand car the old-fashioned way, and slowly built friendships that still last today. One of those friends was a car dealer named Gary Eslick, who invited me to his family’s Christmas lunch and made me feel at home in a new country.

I bought an old Peugeot for $AU2,000 and sold it to the same person for $AU1,500. Given I spoke limited English at the time, it was a great deal – and the start of a long friendship. Despite my very basic English at the time, I knew I was building something meaningful, starting with myself. I am so grateful to Gary for showing me the Australian way of life, he is a true Aussie.

In 1992, when I first arrived in Australia to study English at Bond University, I was stepping into the unknown

After this great experience, my English improved dramatically, and I returned to Brazil and resumed helping manage my family’s plywood business, which employed over 300 people.

My grandfather, Chackel Ruthenberg, had founded the first plywood factory in Brazil back in the 1930s in the state of Paraná, Brazil, City União da Vitória. He fled Lithuania in 1931 to arrive in Rio de Janeiro (where my father and mother were born) with his family just before the Nazi regime rose to power. The same happened to my mum’s family, although they came from France. Starting again in a foreign land was part of our legacy – and today, I see myself continuing that story, just in a different way.

In 1995, Bond University recognised my Brazilian university credits, allowing me to complete a Bachelor of Commerce, followed by an MBA/MACC. After graduating, I became a financial planner – but my phone never stopped ringing. Brazilians needed help navigating the Australian education system.

One day, while delivering application forms to Bond’s admissions office, I was asked by the great Brett Walker (now the acting vice-president, engagement at Bond) why I wasn’t an education agent. I didn’t know what that was. The reply was simple: “Just keep doing what you’re doing.” That was the moment Australia Go was born. Thanks to Brett, I started my own business, so I am super grateful to have people like him, who have acted like angels on my journey.

I officially launched the business in April 2000, operating from home before opening our current office at 38 Cavil Avenue, Surfers Paradise in 2002. We later expanded to Brisbane and São Paulo, where my brother Christian Ruthenberg now manages operations in Brazil under my supervision. In 2013, I completed a graduate certificate in Australian Migration Law and became a registered migration agent in 2014, enabling me to support clients at every stage of their Australian journey.

My own migration journey inspired me to fight for my client’s happiness, like Sharon Harris did for me. She was my migration agent at the time, and her dedication, love and care to me and my family made me understand what is important to be a successful migration agent.

And of course, thanks to my family, who supported me through the ups and downs, during this great experience, and still does. Thanks to my wife Sol, my son David, my mum Liliane, my late father Delano, and my brothers and sisters, friends, clients and education providers. You changed my life for the better.

Key achievements and sector contributions

Over the past 25 years, Australia Go has helped thousands of students pursue their dreams in Australia — many of whom have gone on to build successful lives here. We’ve supported clients from their first Student Visa (subclass 500) through to Temporary Graduate Visas (subclass 485), employer-sponsored 482 visas, partner visas (subclasses 820/801), a range of permanent residency pathways, and ultimately, Australian citizenship.

Australia Go has also supported hundreds of Australian education providers in launching their brands in the Brazilian market – opening the door to wider opportunities across South America. In the early 2000s, I began leveraging personal connections in Brazil to help the first Australian institutions enrol Brazilian students. This included participating in events like Salão do Estudante (BMI) – with thanks to Luke Grover for his ongoing support – hosting seminars, and travelling across the country to introduce education providers to agencies and prospective students. For over 13 years, Australia Go consistently opened new markets for the schools, colleges, and universities that trusted in our marketing intelligence.

Australia Go was present at one of the first webcast from the Association of Surfing Professionals (ASP), promoting some of the education providers online, and donating scholarships via the webcast, attracting millions of viewers to the Gold Coast. Thanks to the late Mano Ziul, who was the director of IT at the ASP at the time, who introduced the idea of the webcast – truly a genius.

Over the past 25 years, Australia Go has helped thousands of students pursue their dreams in Australia — many of whom have gone on to build successful lives here

In association with Gold Coast Tourism, Bond University and Gold Coast Study, Australia Go managed to create a Facebook campaign, reaching 4,000,000 people, and bringing around AU$3 million dollars of revenue to the city of the Gold Coast in a 12-month campaign. That was a great campaign, generating 10,000 likes for the Australia Go Facebook page, and 10,000 likes for the Gold Coast Tourism page. Special thanks to David Cox, who was running Gold Coast Tourism at the time, and Paulo Vieira, who was the special director from Bond University Language Institute.

Now that the education providers are established and already have a strong flow of enrolments from Brazil, this market penetration strategy is no longer required. The market has now matured, and it is more about keeping the flow going, so this was a great period of growth. I do miss those times.

What sets Australia Go apart is the continuity of care. Many clients stay with us for many years, trusting us to manage each step of their migration. We’ve been there for their first enrolment, their first job offer, their first home—and now, we help them bring their families too.

One of the most fulfilling parts of our work is family reunification. Former students are now sponsoring their parents through Contributory Parent Visas (subclass 143), Aged Parent Visas (subclass 804), Contributory Aged Parent Visas (subclass 864), and others. Seeing these reunions – grandparents finally meeting grandchildren – is deeply rewarding.

I’ll never forget one of my earliest clients: an 18-year-old I helped at a shopping mall in Brazil. We completed his Bond University enrolment over lunch using my laptop and a portable printer. Today, he’s an Australian citizen with two children. I recently ran into his mother, who now lives just across from my old home in Palm Beach. She hugged me and said: “Thank you.” That moment reminded me exactly why I do this work.

What’s next?

Our sector is undergoing rapid change – tightening student caps, evolving visa policies, and growing scrutiny. But where there is challenge, there is opportunity. Our adaptability allows us to create strategic pathways even under shifting rules, managing client’s expectations, and keeping them calm throughout the storm. Keeping them informed is key – not through social media, but in a personal level. Communication is incredibly important.

Education providers must be more aggressive to stand out, and promoting overseas is very expensive. Given the uncertainty at the moment, these same providers are changing their relationship with agents, and adapting.

However, I still believe we need to treat the market as it was when I started out in the early 2000s. This means institutions should be present in the most important student fairs, to have that contact with potential students from the source, rather than just sending agents, and also show off their Australian staff to the general public.

Australian people are the representation of their own culture, and that is what the people overseas want to see – the real Australian experience: the “fair dinkum”. We must stand out if we want to navigate these unfair government policies, until things get back to normal and the government realises that Australia cannot live without the international education industry at full capacity.

Migration services are now a growing part of my business, but they go hand in hand with education. Most clients start their journey with a student visa – and after living in Australia, many choose to stay. We prepare them from day one, helping them understand the system and build a long-term plan, be prepared financially, psychologically and make them feel I am always there for them, like a father to a son, connecting a vocation to each person based on thee skills that they will work for throughout the rest of their lives. We make sure sure satisfaction is there every step of the way, creating strategies that really empower people and businesses to achieve more.

At Australia Go, we believe in empowering people to dream big and plan smart. From the first visa to citizenship, our mission is clear: to guide, support, and transform lives – one journey at a time. We’re always just a phone call away, offering consistent support not only to students but also to education providers. We help institutions understand the market, build a strong presence, and adapt their strategies to meet evolving challenges.

Thanks to all my clients, and education providers for these amazing 25 years. Without you all, I would not be here today.

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