Academy of Social Sciences in Australia

Strategic Review of the Student Visa Program 2011

Submission from the Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia to the Australian Government's Strategic Review of the Student Visa Program 2011

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20 April 2011

Introduction

The Academy of the Social Sciences in Australia (ASSA) welcomes the opportunity to respond to the Strategic Review of the Student Visa Program 2011 being conducted by the Australian Government. A foundational element of ASSA's Constitution is the commitment "to comment where appropriate on national needs and priorities in the area of the social sciences". The Academy is engaged substantively in the debate about the quality, integrity and competitiveness of the Australian tertiary education sector in Australia, and role of international education within it.

In 2010, in partnership with the Australian Human Rights Commission and Universities Australia, ASSA convened a research workshop in March, and a policy roundtable in August to consider the policy futures for international students in Australia, and produced two policy papers on this issue. These events were initially convened in response to several highly publicised incidents of violence against students in Australia, and grew out of a concern shared by the three partner organisations to contribute to the development and implementation of policy frameworks which mitigate against racism, including racially motivated crimes, against tertiary students studying in this country.

These policy dialogues necessarily considered a range of circumstances affecting international students in Australia, and the various policies and practices which underpin them. The outcome of this series of events was the publication by ASSA in January 2011 of the policy paper International Student Futures in Australia: A Human Rights Perspective on Moving Forward to Real Action. Written by Professor Andrew Jakubowicz with Dr Devaki Monani, this paper contextualises tertiary international education and the circumstances of international students in Australia; reports and considers the outcomes of the policy events which considered international students futures; and identifies policies areas in which improvements might be made for the benefit of all stakeholders. This peer-reviewed policy paper is available for free download from the Academy's website, and ASSA recommends it to this Review when considering future policy settings for international student visas.

A joint media release was provided following the publication of the Jakubwicz and Monani paper. It provides a useful summary of the major issues emanating from the policy roundtables, and is attached for convenience.