The Australian Greens are calling for a Senate inquiry into
Australia's international education sector following the
recent spate of attacks on Indian students.
Anger over the attacks spilled onto the streets of Melbourne
overnight and New Delhi has warned the Rudd government they
could affect the lucrative student market.
Prime Minister Kevin Rudd spoke to his Indian counterpart
Manmohan Singh on Friday to reassure him that Australia was
doing all it could to bring the violence to an end.
"(Mr) Rudd made clear that the recent attacks on Indian
students were unacceptable acts of violence, and that every
effort would be made to ensure the perpetrators were brought
to justice," a spokesman said.
Greens education spokeswoman Sarah Hanson-Young said she
would move for an inquiry when the Senate resumed on June 15.
"The horrifying recent attacks on a number of Indian students
have cast a stark spotlight on some of the challenges faced
by international students in Australia," she said.
"We welcome the attention paid to these issues from the
education minister, and welcome her contributions through our
proposed Senate inquiry.
"Student safety is just one issue that must be addressed, as
well as student welfare, access to adequate accommodation,
exploitation and discrimination within employment, the
conduct of migration agents, and visa requirements."
Senator Hanson-Young said effective benchmarks and quality
control mechanisms needed to be established within the
international education sector, as well as proper regulation.
Indian students alone were worth about $A2 billion to the
Australian economy in 2007/08, according to the Department of
Foreign Affairs and Trade.
"International students and other migrants have enriched the
social fabric of the Australian community, and the
relationships built between nations and cultures over years
should not be jeopardised by the actions of a despicable
minority," Senator Hanson-Young said.
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