Over recent decades, Australia has invested heavily in its international education sector, which currently involves around 565,000 overseas students. As the nation’s fourth largest industry, it employs around 240,000 people and racked up $37.6 billion in the last financial year.
However, now that the COVID-19 crisis has led to an economic downturn, the prime minister has basically told them to jump ship.
For those who have lost their jobs, no allowance has been made for them in the wage subsidy packages and returning home may not be an option due to border closures.
Sean Stimson, head of the Redfern Legal Centre’s (RLC) International Student Service, explains that the centre’s past research points to about 60 percent of international students not being in a position to maintain themselves without ongoing work.
The government’s abandonment, the solicitor continued, means everything is now resting on educational institutions to provide support. “We’re directing our clients to engage with their education providers to see what financial support packages are being offered,” he said.
Australian universities have this week announced a $110 million hardship package, which will be distributed amongst students from abroad who are experiencing financial difficulties.
“It is very easy to just categorise people by visa status, or call them student migrants, but these are real human beings and they live and work here,” said Unions NSW assistant secretary Thomas Costa. “They pay tax. And they pay a high premium to study here.”
“They should be entitled to exactly the same support from the federal government,” Mr Costa said, calling upon the ministers within the Morrison cabinet to amend the wage subsidy packages to include all migrant workers.
Read the full article here (Sydney Criminal Lawyers, 17 April 2020)
