International students in Australia demand info centre

In the backdrop of on-going attacks on Indian students in Australia, the international students there have demanded setting up an information centre as a single point forum for accessing services vital to their education, including safety guidelines.

At the end of the two-day International Students' Roundtable in Canberra, the students yesterday shared their experience with respect to quality of education, access to services and social integration.

They also suggested making the roundtable an annual feature to continue negotiations on a sustained basis, the Australian High Commission said here today. The demands of the students assume significance in the wake of continuing attacks on students and people of Indian communities in Australia in recent months.

About 30 Indian students have been attacked in recent months in Australia with the latest being the attack on three Indians at a pub in eastern suburb. The attackers continued to make racist abuses and threats at the victims as police took them away from the scene.

Altogether 31 international students representing 19 home countries participated in the roundtable.     The views of the students will feed straight into Council Of Australian Governments' deliberation on how to boost the international student experience.