While Australians are blocked from travelling abroad until next year, and travel around Australia remains restricted, our universities will begin importing small batches of international students from next month:
More than 300 foreign students are set to be flown into Canberra next month and quarantined in hotels to help revive Australia’s hammered education industry…
The ACT and South Australia are leading the nation in getting international students back, with national cabinet considering plans to move towards getting small batches of foreign pupils back by next month. NSW, Victoria and Queensland are also developing pilot programs.
Chief Medical Officer Brendan Murphy is working with both universities to develop their testing and quarantine procedures…
ANU vice-chancellor Brian Schmidt said while the students would need to be quarantined for two weeks in hotels — with costs divided between students, the universities and the ACT government…
University of Canberra vice-chancellor Paddy Nixon said the plan showed the commitment of Australian universities to foreign students…
South Australian universities will also fly in 800 international students from next month, with non-universities also wanting to join the program:
South Australia plans to admit 800 international students next month under a pilot program that will see them return to the state’s three universities…
Universities strongly back the pilot programs, seeing them as an important step towards a much larger program of international student return next year…
Non-university higher-education providers are urging that they also be included in the pilot programs…
As noted above, taxpayers will be required to pay part of the quarantine costs, presumably including accommodation, feeding, supervision and testing.
What about international students’ insurance costs? They will need full comprehensive medical insurance that covers COVID-19. Otherwise, if they fall sick, hospital costs could run into the the tens of thousands. Will taxpayers pick up these costs as well?
Remember, Melbourne has already experienced a cluster of COVID-19 infection among workers in a hotel used for quarantine. The risks of this happening again will obviously be increased with hundreds of international students arriving.
Australians have sacrificed too much, and endured harsh lockdowns at considerable personal and financial cost, only to put that at risk now for the sake of the international student trade.
Where’s our universities’ commitment to the wellbeing of Australians?
