In 2006 there were 172,103 international students studying courses delivered in Australia by Australian universities. International education generated export earnings of $10.8 billion nationally, and $553 million in South Australia alone, in financial year 2005-06 (1).
It is crucial that international education in Australia is sustainable. In order to achieve sustainability, international students must have a voice. However the implementation of the so-called voluntary student unionism legislation has seriously undermined the most significant voice the international students have.
We need to know international students views about the universities in which they study, and their experiences both on campuses in Australia, and in Australian universities' transnational programs. We need to understand our international students views about the regulatory measures of the government. The changes to the Educational Services for Overseas Students (ESOS) Act are intended to improve student rights: is that what the students think? More challengingly, the government's Transnational Quality Strategy is intended to ensure quality among students in transnational (ie offshore) programs. These student constituencies are important but are much harder to keep in contact.
We also need to know more broadly about their views on the experiences of international students in Australia, and how they get on in the community. And that voice needs to be heard by governments, and by the communities in which they live.
The question is, how do we, the universities, and they, the students, achieve all this in the new circumstances?
THE VSU ENVIRONMENT
The Higher Education Support Amendment (Abolition of Compulsory Up-front Student Union Fees) Act created a new environment for universities. Most of the money collected from students prior to the inappropriately termed voluntary student unionism legislation had been for student services. A small fraction went to union (ie political) activities. The universities offered to eliminate compulsory student funding of the political activities if only they could continue the funding support for the student services. The Government declined the offer.
A further legislative amendment was subsequently required to the ESOS Act when it was recognised that some services provided to international students could not be so easily dispensed with because universities were required to provide them under the ESOS Act or its accompanying National Code. Universities were therefore permitted to charge students only for tuition and the additional services they are required by law to provide.
VOICES WITHIN THE UNIVERSITIES
A national voice for international students requires a voice within each of the universities. How powerful is that voice going to be?
Let me illustrate from the experience of Flinders University. Up until mid 2006 international students were members of the Flinders International Student Association (FISA). FISA had an elected set of office-holders who engaged in various activities including cultural events, student support activities and advocacy on behalf of international students.
The President of FISA was an ex officio member of the Flinders Academic Senate, which also contained three students representing the undergraduate and postgraduate student body. International students were not specifically on the University Council in their own right, but they were represented by, and could be among, the three student representatives on Council. They have votes in the elections, like any other student. International students also have membership on various other university committees.
However, FISA has ceased to exist. Flinders Campus Community Services has been established under the Associations Incorporation Act to promote student rights and manage student services and issues. It is governed by a Board, and that has, in turn, established a Student Council subcommittee. One international student (an International Student Officer) sits on the University Council. There is intended to be an International Students Sub-Committee, which reports back to the Student Council. In addition Flinders University is partially supporting three student support and advocacy officers to fill some of the gaps left by the demise of FISA and other student bodies such as the Postgraduate Students' Association.
Nothing has yet emerged to take the place of FISA in its previous form, and nothing is likely to. Flinders is not alone. While individual universities have adopted different tactics, it is by no means certain that the full range of activities previously offered by campus-based international student associations will be sustained. Indeed, I would be amazed should it prove to be the case.
Without a clear financial commitment from universities, student bodies will shrivel or disappear entirely. With that will go the role of independent advocate for individual students or students collectively.
Under the existing ESOS Act (2000) and the National Code (paras 45-48), registered education providers are required to provide:
* Grievance handling and dispute resolution
* Advice on arrival (eg orientation, accommodation etc)
* A student contact officer
These roles, which can be funded from student fees under the Higher Education Support Amendment Act, fall well short of the advocacy roles of campus-based international student bodies such as FISA.
VOICES ACROSS AUSTRALIA
Beyond the university campus, international student organization take various forms. There is a need for a voice at the community and State level. And, of course, at the national level. The organizational structures need to be credible and recognized by both the groups they purport to represent, and the groups they aim to influence.
The National Liaison Committee for International Students of Australia Inc (the NLC)(2), was formed in 1986. It is a representative body, claiming an affiliation with 46 university campus international student organizations. It has had regular national conferences (in Perth in 2006) and state events. It also has provided a voice on current significant issues. These include:
* The lack of transport fares concessions in NSW (2006)
* The ESOS Evaluation Report (2005)
* Transnational education quality (2005)
However it is now in serious danger of collapsing. Its funding base has been removed, and its host organization, the National Union of Students, is also no longer able to provide the support it has in the past.
In addition to the NLC, there are a number of very active international student groups based on country or regional links. For example, the Indonesian Students Association (PPIA), and the Association of Norwegian Students Abroad (ANSA) have both been active over a considerable period (3).
However these groups represent segments of the international student community, not international students more broadly. They also often have more of a focus on the students themselves and their links to homeland issues. For example, from time-to-time the Indonesian Students Association has run conferences focused on Indonesian or Australian-Indonesian issues.
I believe there needs to be some kind of national organization that is able to credibly represent the views of international students in Australia. It might be the NLC, or it might be something different. Now is the time to think about such matters.
The question is, where do the resources come from to sustain the international student input into public issues? Will it be from the students? Is it likely that the universities will provide significant inputs to national bodies? Would the government consider supporting a national group, and would that be acceptable to students, given it might create a constraint on their ability to express opinions? Financial issues are fundamental to the future voice of the NLC, or any body similar to it.
Another issue of ongoing significance is that, by and large, transnational students studying Australian university courses remain unrepresented. It is difficult enough to consider their participation in formal university fora. At Flinders University international students in transnational programs are entitled to vote in the election of students to sit on the University Council, but I don't believe this is a universal practice. As mentioned above, the NLC has taken an interest in transnational education issues, notably the governments proposed transnational education framework, but it has not been active among transnational students.
A final point. In this environment a constructive role should be taken up by organizations such as the IEAA (International Education Association of Australia), or ISANA (International Education Association). They need to play a role in supporting the rebuilding of the international student's voice, at least until a new set of student-led structures and directions are put in place.
This paper was presented at a forum on "The Cost of VSU: Ensuring a National Voice for International Students" at the Australian International Education Conference, Perth, 10-13 October 2006 (aiec vsu 2006)
(1) In preparing this paper I have benefited from discussions on these issues with a number of my colleagues at Flinders University including Virginia Pattingale, Jane Horgan, Elaine Kane and Maria Stavrinakis.
(2) National Liaison Committee <www.nlc.edu.au>
(3) Association of Norwegian Students Abroad <www2.ansa.no/default.asp?id=6533>
