Chinese Community Council of Australia (CCCA) today participated and submitted an important policy submission to the Federal Government’s Senate Education, Employment and Workplace Committee’s Inquiry into the Welfare of International Students.

“A common but false perception is that international students are very well off. However, this is not always the case as some students are currently struggling to make ends meet. They need to work for expenses; hence less time to focus on their studies. A common example is that a great number of taxi drivers in Melbourne are students from India, who work around 20 hours a week in night shifts whist studying full-time”, said Dr Anthony Pun, National President of the Chinese Community Council of Australia.

“Once arrived in Australia, International students find difficulties in housing and employment. And recently, safety and public transport has been a concern for students mainly in Victoria and New South Wales.

According to a report entitled University and Beyond 2007 released by Graduate Careers Australia, 65 per cent of international students intend to apply for Australian permanent residency status either during or following completion of their course. Furthermore, according to Australian Education International, Australia had a total of 543,898 full fee paying international students in 2008. Therefore there are substaintial reasons to develop mechanisms to improve the overall welfare and well-being of our international students.

“CCCA believes that it is vital to break down misconceptions and strengthen cross-cultural ties between the wider community and international students. Our local students are in fact not missing out but greatly appreciate the diversity and energy international students bring. Having international students in Australian classrooms allows us to develop an understanding of other countries and cultures, which in turn contributes to the rich tapestry of our increasingly rich multicultural society.

CCCA’s submission to the Senate highlights important issues such as international students difficulties in finding affordable and suitable accommodation, the balance of education and employment and funding and investment on information and cultural awareness training sessions as well as programs to break down misconceptions and promote social inclusion between international students and the wider community.

“CCCA is also disappointed to know that Victoria and NSW are the only two remaining states to not grant overseas students concession entitlements to travel on public transport. This practice not only gives international students a sense of unfairness when their fellow students in other Australian states enjoy this concession entitlement. It also increases the student’s financial expenditure unnecessarily.

“CCCA hopes that the Senate’s deliberations result in effective and efficient policies to help assist our growing international student community. We welcome further suggestions from the Australian Chinese community to assist our advocacy to all levels of Government,” concluded Dr Pun.

CCCA’s submission can be found at: https://senate.aph.gov.au/submissions/comittees/viewdocument.aspx?id=00ce95d6-9cbd-4c70-bfe0-d489a9ad1c12