New deal call for overseas postgrads

FEDERAL and state governments must do much more to secure the multimillion dollar international postgraduate sector, the students' peak body says.

The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations says governments have "had a charmed run on the growth of international enrolments to date" but the "time has come for universities and government to (make) a genuine investment in sustaining the level of international enrolments".

CAPA president Nigel Palmer and researcher Katya Pechenkina, in a submission to a Senate inquiry into the welfare of international students, challenge the federal and state governments to bring "long-overdue reforms to help ensure Australia remains a preferred destination for international students".

"We wanted to send the message that in our view, even though some of the problems around international students may seem daunting, it's possible to get started on simple, practical solutions right away," Mr Palmer said.

The cost of visas, school education for postgrads' children and some states' refusal to give students concessions on public transport were CAPA's biggest issues.

Mr Palmer said the impost of student visas and associated costs in Australia were much higher than in key OECD education destinations.

International students coming to Australia face paying $540 for a visa and medical check, against an average of about $130 for other nations.

International students and their dependents in Australia also have to have a medical check whenever they apply for or renew their visa, regardless of whether they had travelled overseas during their stay.

CAPA also calls for an exemption on the school education costs for postgrads' children.

Mr Palmer said many of the roughly 10,000 international research postgraduate students, average age 35, would have school-age children.

Last year parliamentarians supported such an exemption in the House of Representatives inquiry report, Building Australia's Research Capacity.

CAPA also calls for resolution on the long-running campaign for public transport concessions for international postgrads.

"It is an indictment on the governments of NSW and Victoria in particular, with educational exports at $5.8 billion and $4.9bn respectively, that they still refuse to allow international students the same entitlements to travel on public transport as their domestic peers," Mr Palmer said.

"These students should have access to free travel."

Victoria earns a brickbat for its "embarrassing" refusal to give travel concessions but praise from CAPA for exemptions for the cost of postgrads' dependents. The deadline for submissions is August 14. The Senate will release its inquiry report in November.

* La Trobe University has extended library hours and will provide a shuttle bus between the campus and a nearby railway station to increase safety for international students.

After requests from the La Trobe University Postgraduate Association, the university has agreed to extend library hours at its Bundoora campus. The library will be open 30 minutes earlier, from 8am Monday to Friday. It will also be open longer at weekends, from 11am to 5pm (previously 1pm to 5pm).

Indian postgraduate students asked, through LUPA, that the "library should become a shelter and its opening hours should be extended, particularly during examination time".

A security bus service is to be extended to include a pick up at Macleod railway station at night.