Conference: Move to calm attack fears

The National Union of Students and the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) will team up to host a conference on international students later this month as the groups seek to address simmering concerns among their members following attacks on Indian students in a number of states.

The news comes as the Senate last week established an inquiry into international students, initiated by the Greens, which will examine issues including student safety and employment rights. It will report back by November 16.
The subject of international students is also expected to be discussed at the Universities Australia board meeting taking place tomorrow.

The export education industry is a major money spinner for the government, pumping about $15.5 billion into the economy each year. Indian students contribute around $2 billion to the economy annually.
NUS president David Barrow said the conference, to be hosted by the University of Melbourne from June 28-30, was originally called to examine how local and international students could be better integrated across campuses.

However, following a number of violent attacks on Indian students and a series of protests, the conference will focus exclusively on the issues of international students.
Mr Barrow said four international representatives from each university will be invited to take part and NUS will use the forum to reinvigorate the organisation's representation of international students.
He added that discussion from the conference would feed into moves by NUS to reform its constitution to better represent students at private colleges, TAFEs and schools, including international students.

"That will mean that private colleges will have to start delivering for students," Mr Barrow said. "We're going to have reach on private colleges."
CAPA president Nigel Palmer said the conference was about ensuring international students had a voice in the current debate.
"It's a check-in on the issues . . . we're keen to ensure that the issues that are canvassed are in line with actual interests and needs of international postgraduates."

Mr Palmer said that, according to Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations statistics, 35 per cent of postgraduate students are from overseas compared with 23 per cent of undergraduates.
Greens senator Sarah Hanson-Young said Australia must provide certain guarantees to the thousands of international students accepted each year.
"Australia must be delivering a quality educational experience, above-board migration services, protection from workplace exploitation, accessible accommodation, adequate information, and decent efforts to ensure student safety to fulfil our duty of care to international students," she said.
The Senate inquiry's broad terms of reference encompass the role and responsibilities of migration and education agents and embassies, as well as education providers and all levels of government.