Page 2271 - Week 07 - Wednesday, 16 August 2006
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Nationally in 2002, as Ms Porter indicated, overseas students provided $2.7 billion or 13 per cent of all revenue to Australia’s higher education providers.
Knowledge-based industries are vital to Canberra’s future economic growth. With our internationally esteemed universities and research institutions, we are in a very strong position to capitalise on our strengths in education and innovation. The future will be information and technology rich and the government is committed to supporting our knowledge future in order to generate new and creative industries that will lead Canberra’s economic development.
International students are a great strength of the intellectual and cultural life of our community and, as such, they are an important part of Canberra’s future. Of course, sometimes things do not go well for students, be they international or domestic, and that is when student organisations have kicked in and done their bit to assist. Student organisations across the ACT provide services ranging from childcare to university bars. But perhaps most important, they provide advocacy and support when students get into trouble.
I was recently fortunate to be given the opportunity to open the University of Canberra Students Association’s new offices and I would note they are very impressive. I would encourage all members of the Assembly to join as a friend of the students association and support the useful work that they do. The UC Students Association has a history of standing up for international students, both those studying on the Bruce campus and those students studying offshore at UC’s partner institutions across South-East Asia. The work the UCSA does in supporting international students is impressive. It supports an international officer and participates in events throughout the year to assist in integrating international students into university community life, and it stands up for the ongoing quality for all students at UC.
Student organisations are also important for all students, but particularly those who find themselves in trouble a long way from home. I commend the University of Canberra Students Association on the work they have done in upgrading their services and facilities to serve their members better. I would also like to place on record my appreciation for the work done by the ANU Students Association in assisting their members. Let us hope that all these important organisations can survive the new environment they find themselves in and can continue to work with our international students and universities to ensure a complete experience for all our students.
MS GALLAGHER (Molonglo—Minister for Health, Minister for Disability and Community Services and Minister for Women) (5.05): As members will be aware, the value of international students studying in the ACT is significant not only in terms of income for local universities but also for the broader contribution they make to our economy and our community. In the area of health, where the ACT faces significant skill shortages, particularly in the provision of GP services, we are trying to attract more international students. International medical student admissions are in addition to the domestic allocation and do not impinge on domestic admissions. The same admission criteria apply to both international and domestic students. Currently the ANU medical school has approximately eight international students studying within it.
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