International Students in Australia Announce United Voice

*** Attention Education Journalists: Monday 12 July 2010 ***

The Australian Federation of International Students (AFIS), the National Union of Students (NUS) and the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) and participants in the 2010 International Students’ Forum are pleased to welcome Australia's new peak representative organisation for international students, the Council of International Students Australia (CISA).  The new body held its Inaugural General Meeting (IGM) in Hobart on Wednesday the 7^th of July 2010.

“I look forward to providing a united voice at the national level for Australia's diverse population of international students in the year ahead” said inaugural CISA President, Robert Atcheson, an ANU postgraduate law student from the USA.  “There are many challenges facing international students, from the welfare and security issues to education and quality of life concerns.  These challenges, as well as others, place international students on an unequal footing with Australian Permanent Residents and Citizens. I look forward to working with Prime Minister Gillard and the Ministers in order to bring a higher level of equality and social inclusion to all international students in Australia.”

The IGM was the culmination of two years of discussion among representative bodies and international students.  The process was supported by a working group of international student representatives from across Australia, convened at the international students’ forum hosted in Melbourne in 2009. The 2010 Forum was hosted at the University of Tasmania to coincide with the Education Conference of the National Union of Students.  Around 80 international student representatives attended, from all states and all levels of post-secondary education.

The Event was a resounding success thanks to the broad range of Government and higher education organisations who supported the event, including those who gave presentations at the Forum, the higher education providers who supported their international students to participate, and the invaluable support of Australian Education International (AEI), part of the Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations (DEEWR).

There are 52 founding members of CISA, including small campus level ethnic associations, student unions, postgraduate associations and overseas students' associations.  CISA’s newly formed membership elected a national executive committee of eight office bearers and two general members.  Part of CISA’s mission is to ensure those in the private college sector, its potentially most vulnerable constituents, are able to have an active and effective voice.  To this end CISA’s founding members have sought to ensure this through its representative structure, establishing two national executive committee positions specifically for representatives from that important group.

CISA will focus its efforts on the following:

·         Advocate for the interests and needs of international students

·         Advocate for high quality education for international students

·         Facilitate network building among stakeholders with an interest in supporting international students

·         Host an annual national forum for international students

·         Provide a means of consulting and engaging with international students

·         Host future international student roundtable events in partnership with various government entities

·         Promote cross-cultural awareness and interactions in Australia

·         Advocate for law reform on issues concerning international students.

“Working with the students at the forum was inspirational,” said Tammi Jonas, President of CAPA, who chaired the working group established last year to establish the new body. “The democratic process was exhilarating as the group worked through the details of its representational and executive structures both carefully and passionately,” Jonas said.  “CAPA is excited to have a new independent and representative body to work alongside in our ongoing efforts to advocate for the interests and needs of international postgraduate students”.

“The fact that the assembled students were of single voice in promoting the representation of international students from all levels of post secondary education institutions was both powerful and unmistakable. CISA will provide representation to all of these groups, aiding those who have little history of representation establish democratic representative organisations as well as providing a forum to those institutions who have a representative voice but found themselves barking into the dark” said Wai Ken Wong, AFIS National Chairperson.  “We are pleased that CISA brings together various student representative bodies such as CAPA, NUS and AFIS to work collaboratively for the benefit of all international students in Australia”.

"I believe we have a strong executive committee for CISA and look forward to working with each of them during the ensuing year.  This is an exciting time for international students across Australia as we are standing upon the precipice of change, and together we can make a difference!" CISA President, Robert Atcheson concluded.

Robert Atcheson, CISA President                         0406 975 466

Carla Drakeford, NUS President                           0411 606 808

Tammi Jonas, CAPA President                              0422 429 362

Wai Ken Wong, AFIS National Chairperson          0404 615 239