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Students demand action on pressing issues

International students called for an Ombudsman to investigate student complaints, a standardised fee refund policy, an increase in the working hour limit and accommodation reference letters, at a recent meeting called “From Here to Where?”, organised by the AISA.

The recently-formed All International Student Association (AISA), comprising mainly of Asian students, reiterated their demands for international students to have a ‘fair-go’ in Australia. Students and officials believe that the recent spate of attacks against Indians have hogged the limelight in Australia and India, effectively sidelining other pressing student issues. They have unanimously sought action from the Australian government and are sceptical about the series of ministerial visits to India and diplomatic talks, reiterating that these would not resolve problems persisting in Australia.

AISA, in a meeting on October 11, outlined the need for an Ombudsman to resolve student issues without resorting to legal channels, an increase of work rights to 24 hours from the existing 20 hours and a full work permit for spouses of all student visa holders, among other things.

“The purpose of this meeting was to outline a solution for student problems from a student perspective. A number of students raised their concerns regarding the 20 hour work limit and we believe this work limit is a licence for business people to exploit international students,” Navjot Singh, president of AISA, told Indian Link. “These issues concern all international students and are not confined only to Indian students. Therefore, it is appropriate to address these issues on behalf of all,” he added.

AISA, which was formed in July after the Harris Park protests, hopes to represent all international students and provide an equal voice for everyone.

“Racism or discrimination are not the main issues. It is only a smokescreen. The problems of students by now are well- to provide students with a mechanism to address problems of exploitation at their work places, homes and educational institutions. Also, the quality of education in Australia needs to be upgraded. We have to ensure exploitation-free education,” added Dr Singh. known and it has moved on to the next stage. The question is what is being done?” asked Dr Yadu Singh, an Indian cardiologist and secretary of the Australian Indian Medical Association (AIMA), which will donate AUD $ 500 to AISA.

In light of the hardships faced by students in finding affordable accommodation in Australia, the student body is seeking reference letters from the Department of Immigration and Citizenship (DIAC) to ease the process. Following the recent closure of Sterling College, they also demanded a standard policy in all Australian educational institutions pertaining to tuition fee refunds and release letters.

“International students are being exploited and the process of recourse is not being addressed currently. We need an international students’ Ombudsman

“The attacks have veered the attention away from other issues we face. We need a contact point for our problems. Often students are in the dark as to what to do when they face any problems,” says Raveena Garg, who is pursuing a course in Community Welfare at TAFE, Granville. She added that it was getting increasingly harder for students to migrate to Australia.

Harpreet Singh, vice-president of AISA and a student, says, “A number of Australian political figures have visited India to assure students and families that Australia is safe. We are saying the issue isn’t in India, but it is here. It is all well for future students. But, what about the current ones?” he demanded. However, he

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