Done By Law

DBL: International students under attack: 9 February 2010

You might be mistaken for thinking that the recent Victorian government announcement of a new Minister for the Respect Agenda is a Monty Pythonesque farce – but no! On the 20th of January, Premier Brumby announced that Justin Madden would be the inaugural Minister for Respect, stepping into this role to address social issues such as alcohol related violence and racial tolerance.

This comes at a time where the Victorian government is under intense international scrutiny regarding the spate of attacks on Indian students in Victoria. Only last week, Brumby was on the defensive once again after the Indian high commissioner Sujatha Singh accused his government of not doing enough to address attacks on Indian students.

As a result of mounting pressure regarding these attacks, the Victorian Government has also recently opened a new 24-hour support and welfare service for international students. This service is supposed to provide support and advice on a raft of issues for international students, including legal services.

Meanwhile, the Western Suburbs Legal Service are ahead of the game. Acknowledging the raft of issues facing international students, in particular given the high incidents of assault against Indian students out west, an International Student Legal Advice Clinic (ISLAC) was established by the Western Suburbs Legal Service, in collaboration with volunteers working with the international student community. This clinic began on the 1st July 2009 and deals with a raft of issues including housing and tenancy issues, student rights, police matters (including complaints), employment and discrimination/racism

We are joined tonight on Done by Law by Sanmati Verma, Coordinator of ISLAC to discuss the ongoing issues facing international students and whether the government response is adequate in addressing these issues.