The Federal Government is currently taking the welfare of international students to the next step through the inquiry to the Senate Education, Employment and Workplace Committee to look into the welfare of international students in Australia and an interim report of the Education Services for Overseas Students Act Review.

Dr Stanley Chiang, President of the Chinese Community Council of Australia (Victoria Chapter) (CCCAV) congratulates and commends the Federal Government for taking up these two important reviews but stresses the importance of ensuring that outcomes must cater for international students of all backgrounds.

“We are looking forward to the implementation of the recommendations highlighted in both initiatives. What we would like to witness is cooperation between all levels of government as well as the educational sector to provide more funding and support to improve the welfare of our international students,” said Dr Chiang.

In 2008, international students from China comprised 23.4 per cent of the overall student intake and experienced a 19.7 per cent growth in 2007. More importantly, these statistics excludes students of Chinese descent from other parts of the world such as Taiwan, Hong Kong, Singapore and Malaysia.

“CCCAV would like to see solutions become action such as more information provision and support services that target and cater for all international students, which includes our growing number of international students from Chinese backgrounds who are in general are less vocal about their concerns and issues.

Dr Chiang added that as the inquiry came from the unfortunate violence against international students from Indian backgrounds. The focus to improving the safety, accommodation and welfare should be targeted towards all international students from different backgrounds.

CCCAV, in partnership with our national body CCCA sent through a submission to the Senate highlighting important issues such as their difficulties in finding affordable and suitable accommodation, the balance of education and employment.

“While we agree that the inquiry was able to gain responses and opinions from the sector, what was disappointing was the lack of consultation and scope with the ethno-specific and multicultural sectors. These solutions must be culturally appropriate as the international students sector is incredibility diverse in itself.

“More importantly, we recommend the tertiary sector to get more involved through their orientation programs and student activities. Students spend most of their time at an education institution so it’s imperative that they begin to focus on this area. It’s not just about creating comprehensive study programs because the welfare of their students is also a critical component to their international reputation”, concluded Dr Chiang.

CCCAV looks forward to working with the Federal and State Governments to develop appropriate policy outcomes for new and existing international students.