About the campaign
New South Wales is the only state which excludes international university students from public transport concessions. Lack of access to public transport concessions makes New South Wales a less desirable study destination for overseas students.
In a coalition of peak bodies and campus-based student associations in New South Wales, we are campaigning for the State Government to implement concession fares for all students, including international students.
This builds on the efforts of several other previous campaigns by other organisations. We acknowledge the recent efforts by a Sydney-based group of international students who campaigned under the name Make Travel Fair, using direct actions such as rallies and petitions throughout 2018.
Research on international student concession fares
We have developed a discussion paper on the cost and benefits of extending public transport concessions to international university students in New South Wales. Download the full paper here.
We estimate that extending public transport concessions to higher education students in New South Wales would cost the state a maximum of $169 million per year. This is based on the assumption that all students will be using the weekly maximum Opal card (which is currently $25 concession or $50 full fare) for 52 weeks per year. In reality, most students will use public transportation less often, especially those who travel to their home countries during study breaks.
This cost is minimal when compared to the $13 billion injected into the state’s economy by international students in 2018. Reducing this everyday cost for international students will increase their satisfaction with their treatment in Australia, at a relatively small cost to the state.
Media releases
Media coverage
Campaign coalition
This campaign is coordinated by the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations, in partnership with the Council of International Students Australia and the National Union of Students. The campaign includes the joint effort of all campus-based student associations in New South Wales:
Case study volunteers
We are seeking students to volunteer to be case studies for our campaign. These case studies may be drawn on for media coverage. We are looking for a diverse range of case studies. If you would like to remain anonymous, we can give your story a pseudonym.
For further information or to provide your details for a case study, please contact president@capa.edu.au
