Fearing the ongoing attacks on Indians may hit the country's booming education sector, Australia's influential Greens party has asked the government to tackle this challenge "head on" and conduct a senate inquiry to examine the issues related to such students.
"The concerns for international students in Australia are not limited to Indian students, nor attacks at train stations," Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, Greens spokesperson for Education, said in a statement.
Hanson-Young said, "The issues that the international students are facing are challenges the Government must tackle head-on."
She said it was necessary to determine the best way forward for Australia's $15.5 billion international education industry.
"A Senate inquiry is needed to get all the information on the table from students themselves, universities, and others in the sector, to determine the best way forward for our booming international education industry, our third largest export behind iron ore and coal," the Senator said.
The Greens will move for a Senate inquiry when Parliament resumes next week.
She also appealed to the Indian student community to calm down.
Hanson-Young said responses from the Education, Employment and Workplace Relations Committee during Senate Estimates last week indicated the intensity of the problems relating to international students.
"The Government admitted in Senate Estimates that it has been aware of issues around international student safety for several years," Hanson-Young said adding that "countries other than India have made representations to Australia following incidents involving their citizens who are studying here.
"The fact that there are currently only voluntary guidelines within a code of conduct for the international education sector, which does not cover important welfare and safety issues such as housing - indicates the need for closer examination and universal benchmarks to be determined," she said.
"It's just a shame that things have gotten to this point, which is why the Greens will be moving for a Senate inquiry into international education in Australia when Parliament resumes next week," she added.
