International students in Australia

• Introduction
• International students
• International student market
   
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International students

Pastoral Care

One strand of articles which emerged concerned the level and quality of the pastoral care international students received from their institutions. The first article, published in December 2004, was a report on a study being conducted by Monash University, which criticised the lack of pastoral care and security international students received. This was emphasised in a long report in March 2005 covering the murder of an international student, whose disappearance went unnoticed by her university. One letter to the editor also commented on this case, criticising the lack of pastoral care and concern for student security displayed by Australian universities (March 2005). Two articles in August 2005 focused on the university’s responsibility to maintain communication with international students, reporting that the university in question had breached legal obligations by failing to report the student’s absence to DIMIA. The importance of pastoral care was also touched upon in an opinion piece published in May 2005, and a report on underage gambling by international students published in December 2004.

Crime

Another subset of articles concerned international students as victims or perpetrators of crime. The murder of the Canberra University international student was covered in a series of five articles in March, June and August 2005. Two articles, in December 2004 and September 2005, reported on the incidence of underage gambling among international students from Asia attending both secondary and tertiary institutions in Adelaide. An article in May 2005 reported on an international student arrested in an Adelaide heroin bust. The article was entitled “TAFE student a ‘heroin kingpin’”, and opened with the sentence “A Chinese TAFE student is accused of being the mastermind behind one of Australia’s largest single shipments of heroin …” All of the articles reporting on crime among international students identified the perpetrators (and the single victim) as Chinese.

Outcomes

Four articles touched on the post-study outcomes for international students: two positive and two negative. The first, published in February 2005, reported on a new collaborative teaching agreement between the Malaysian Government and two Australian universities, in which Malaysian ESL teaching students will spend part of their degree studying in Australia. The second was an opinion piece about the benefits of international student education for both Australia and the students’ home countries, with a particular focus on Malaysia (May 4, 2005). This article was a version of a presentation given at an international education conference in Malaysia. This piece was written by the CEO of IDP Education Australia. The third article reported on the poor employment prospects for Asian-born accounting students who remain in Australia as permanent residents after completing their studies (July 6, 2005). This article was entitled “Language lets down Chinese accountants” and noted that NESB accounting students were “predominantly Chinese”. The final article was a report on the decreasing interest of Chinese students in seeking tertiary education in Australia, as it no longer automatically garnered a higher salary (September 14, 2005).

Student visas

A substantial number of articles focused on student visa issues. The first was an opinion piece, published in April 2005, calling for permanent residency to be offered to international students. It focused on the economic and social benefits that could be derived from retaining international students after graduation. This piece was written by the Vice-Chancellor of Swinburne University of Technology. The second article reported on the substantial number of international students who fail to maintain the health cover required under their student visas (June 29, 2005). The third article was a report on the detention of international students who breached their visa conditions (August 3, 2005). It noted that the Federal Court had criticised DIMIA for its “heavy-handed enforcement”, stating it could harm Australia’s reputation as an international education provider. The fourth article concerned a ruling against DIMIA which could see thousands of cancelled student visas reinstated (September 16, 2005). The fifth article reported on changes to student visa conditions which allow students to undertake workplace training after graduation. It also reported on a new visa category for student apprenticeships.

Racism

Three articles reported on the controversy generated by an academic from Macquarie University who was accused of espousing racist views in his position as a university teacher and representative of the institution. The first article, published on July 27, 2005, reported Associate Professor Andrew Fraser’s claims that he would be sacked if he did not resign, as his views would deter enrolment by international students, affecting the university’s income. Associate Professor Fraser revealed that he had used his university address and email when registering with the Patriotic Youth League (see Case Study 1), which was linked to racist activities at Newcastle University. It also reported that he supported the PYL campaign to stop African refugees from settling in Australia, based on his belief that Africans have lower IQs and so form a higher crime risk. The second article, published on July 29, reported that African students were calling for a boycott of Macquarie University for its failure to “discipline” Associate Professor Fraser. The final article reported that the National Tertiary Education Union intended to represent Associate Professor Fraser in any action taken by the university, despite being “outraged” by his comments. This was a long article which reported in detail on Associate Professor Fraser’s assertions regarding African and Asian migrants, including his focus on the Sudanese community in Australia. The articles did not mention that Associate Professor Fraser had migrated to Australia from Canada.

The remaining three articles covered a range of issues. One reported on the Foreign Minister’s pledge that Muslim headscarves would not be banned in Australian schools (September 8, 2005). One was an advisory piece aimed at international students, published in a Post Grad Special Report in the Weekend Australian (September 10, 2005). The final article was a report about universities organising scholarships and fee relief for international students affected by the Indian Ocean tsunami (January 5, 2005).

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