Load of bollocks. Australians are equally entitled to the student loan over there. You are treated as a local student, NOT as an 'international student'.
Anyone telling you otherwise is full of it. Take your money (okay, Auntie Helen's money) elsewhere!
Now, the school may prefer to take on locals, but there are ample places, despite what they might tell you. Try the smaller schools.
At Mainland Air, I went over, did everything in 12 months, worked for them for 18 months, then moved back to Australia.
My only regret is not staying longer.