Dear Minister for Employment, Skills, Small and Family Business, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash, and the Minister for Education, the Hon Dan Tehan MP,
Religions for Peace Australia ( https://religionsforpeaceaustralia.org.au/ ) is the largest multifaith organisation in Australia and has links in every state and territory. We congratulate the Government on many of the economic packages you have helped put together.
Emeritus Professor Desmond Cahill OAM and the Executive Committee of Religions for Peace Australia have resolved to write to you to appraise your good selves what actions our network has been taking during the CoViD-19 crisis and raise educational issues we are concerned about.
Firstly, our actions: on Friday the 20 February 2020, our Chair, Religions for Peace Australia committee members and other multifaith leaders had an emergency meeting about CoViD-19. As a consequence, we made this joint COVID-19 CRISIS – AN INTERFAITH STATEMENT. We hope it will be helpful on a number of levels, including practically and spiritually. Since then we have sent this statement to many groups including Ministers in the Federal Parliament.
On Friday the 3 April, we held the second COVID 19 meeting of the Religions for Peace Australia-wide network plus other religious leaders. Again, all Australian states and territories were present on Zoom or rang in. At this meeting one of the welfare issues raised for the second time was care of overseas students who are often of Hindu, Sikh and Muslim backgrounds (see below).
Since our 2nd meeting, we note the statement of Minister Tudge Acting Minister for Immigration, Citizenship, Migrant Services and Multicultural Affairs of 4th of April, 2020.
“In relation to international students. We’ve got almost 600,000 international students in Australia. Many studying in the higher education and vocational education sectors. And these people have been a terrific contributor to our tertiary sector and our economy, and they support hundreds of thousands of jobs by being here. Now we’re saying to international students that we encourage you to rely on your family support, on your part time work where that is available, and on your own savings to help sustain yourself while you’re in Australia. We know that as part of your visa application, you’re required to demonstrate that certainly in your first year of being a student that you can support yourself. So, our expectation is absolutely that. That if you’re a first-year student that you’re able to support yourself, but if you are unable to support yourself then you might need to consider other arrangements. In relation to second and subsequent year students, as I said we ask you to lean on your families for their support, going into your own savings to support yourself if you need that. In addition, we will allow you to access the superannuation which you may have accumulated here in Australia as well through the part time work which you are able to do while you are here. So that’s the message in relation to international students…
We also note that on 12 April 2020, Senator the Hon Michaelia Cash and the Hon Dan Tehan MP have announced a package of measures to lift the financial pressures on Registered Training Organisations.
Regarding the statement and package above we would like to raise several concerns.
Firstly, we note Minister Tudge’s statement that Year 1 students have signed a statement that they can support themselves during this first year. Secondly, we welcome the news that some universities (appearing to be the more established) have this weekend offered financial/welfare assistance to overseas students and this is appropriate.
On the other hand, Minister Tudge’s statement above raises several concerns which have not been adequately addressed by either of your Departments or by that of Minister Tudge.
1. Students can draw on their superannuation – we know from employment inquiries over the years (i.e. Seven 11) that vulnerable visa groups, such as overseas students, are often paid in cash or underpaid. Despite these inquiries to date this superannuation issue is still not under control. Therefore, some overseas students have little or no super to draw on.
2. Students can go home – this is not a correct assumption, as many countries are not accepting inward flights nor do all students have the funds to purchase an over-priced ticket for travel home.
Since our 20 February meeting, our concern has been for those overseas students who have lost their part-time jobs due to CoViD-19, so subsequently have little or no money and can’t get a flight home during this time of crisis, but whose pastoral care/welfare needs are not being supported by private Registered Training Organisations and less financially well off Universities. Anecdotal evidence available to us is that the private Registered Training Organisations and some of the less established universities do not feel they have pastoral care/welfare responsibility toward their students in general nor toward their international students in particular.
Given historic concerns regarding private Registered Training Organisations, what steps will your Departments take towards the pastoral/welfare needs if the Registered Training Organisation goes bankrupt or fails to adequately address the pastoral care/welfare needs of their overseas students?
We would therefore ask that your Departments
1) make clear public and social media statements about how private Registered Training Organisations and universities have a moral and pastoral/welfare responsibility toward their overseas students at this COVID 19 time.
2) That you support the Universities that are struggling financially due to the effects of CoViD-19 to offer appropriate support to their overseas students in need.
3) develop practical strategies in appropriate languages for situations such as where to get food and what steps to take if you are evicted, and place these on several appropriate websites such as Study in Australia (https://www.studyinaustralia.gov.au/). This will assist some overseas students, so they do not become destitute when some private Registered Training Organisations and universities fail in their pastoral care/welfare responsibilities to their overseas students for reasons mentioned above.
It feels morally and ethically important that during this CoViD-19 crisis that your Departments have practical strategies to protect our overseas students from destitution.
On a practical level, overseas students (who have for a number of years contributed to a major Australian industry) will remember and compare between countries how they were treated during this CoViD-19 crisis. Such a comparison could affect our education industry in the long term.
Please could your Departments answer these questions urgently and practically.
15th April 2020
