States awaiting response on quarantine proposals in Australia
Published 18/05/2021
The Australian government is standing by its position on maintaining a hard border in a bid to protect its population from the Covid-19 pandemic.
Prime minister Scott Morrison has reiterated the cautious approach saying Australia will open borders, but not before it is safe.
“It is not safe to take those next steps right now,” he said. “There is a sliding sort of scale here, and we’re working on the next steps.” But media reports suggest that he believes international students are the next priority cohort after the repatriation of Australian citizens.
“We are always working on the next step and the next step is how we can safely have international students come back,” he said.
Stakeholders have shared details with The PIE around the proposals they have made for initiatives to bring students back to their regions.
It comes as a Newspoll for The Australian found that 73% of voters support the government’s ‘Fortress Australia’ approach and believe the international borders should remain closed until at least the middle of 2022.
Latest cumulative government figures show that international student commencements in the year to March 2021 fell by 31%, while the number of enrolments had fallen by 17%.
Other points-in-time statistics revealed that between July 2020 to March 2021, the total number of enrolled international students in Australia had dropped 21%, while the percentage of enrolled students overseas had leaped 82%.
Preliminary data from the Australian Bureau of Statistics shows that tuition fees from students outside Australia totalled $3.3 billion in 2020.
“I think universities are critical to Australia’s economic prosperity, to our cultural harmony and, of course, to a better society,” federal treasurer Josh Frydenberg said, as The Canberra Times reported.
Last week, budget assumptions suggested that borders will remain shut until mid-2022, with Universities Australia’s chief executive Catriona Jackson saying that governments “need to come together with universities to develop a robust plan for the safe return of international students”.
Universities and federal governments are pulling together formal proposals to allow students to return to their territories.
“We will look favourable at those proposals, but importantly they have to be ticked off by the chief medical officer,” Frydenberg said.
In Victoria, the government is working with education providers and the federal government on a plan to facilitate the gradual return of international students “when conditions allow”.
“To support this plan, the Victorian government has put forward a letter to the Australian government which would enable the safe arrival of key economic cohorts, which includes international students, to support Victoria’s and Australia’s economic recovery,” a spokesperson told The PIE.
“The proposal would see a limited number of arrivals each week in addition to the existing international passenger arrival cap. Quarantine will be managed separately in a dedicated facility which adheres to the requirements of Victoria’s hotel quarantine program for returned overseas travellers to ensure the health and safety of our community.
“It is difficult to provide a definitive timeline for when international students can return to Victoria in significant numbers”
“It is difficult to provide a definitive timeline for when international students can return to Victoria in significant numbers. This will depend on health advice, the rollout of vaccines and other factors that need to be considered to ensure the safety of the community,” they added.
A NSW government spokesperson said it “has been working closely with the international education sector, including the NSW Vice-Chancellors’ Committee, independent providers and the federal government, on a plan to facilitate the safe return of international students to Australia and to our local communities”.
“This work is continuing to ensure that all safety and regulatory requirements can be met by any proposal,” they added.
Since mid-2020, StudyPerth has been collaborating with a consortium of Western Australian universities – included liaising with the Department of Education, Skills and Employment and relevant federal agencies – to plan for the safe return of international students.
Its “comprehensive” proposal has received strong support and advice from the WA chief health officer’s office, and is awaiting feedback from the WA government, StudyPerth chief executive officer Phil Payne noted.
Feedback is expected from the WA Department of the Premier and Cabinet within the next two weeks.
“The proposal is a proof of concept and has been developed to address the federal government’s protocols and preconditions and reflects the current environment of mandatory hotel quarantine with state-run quarantine arrangements and state-based arrival caps in WA,” Payne told The PIE.
It also includes “consideration of possible models for a post-vaccination scenario, which may also involve alternative quarantine or isolation facilities”, he continued.
The government for South Australia is also prioritising the return of international students and working closely with the commonwealth to finalise a plan that “meets all of the protocols and ensures a safe and sustainable program for both students and the South Australian community”, StudyAdelaide CEO Karyn Kent said.
Student accommodation facilities are being assessed for their suitability for quarantining returning students, she explained. The safety of students and the community remains the number one priority through each stage of the process, she added.
Electorate support
“The premier’s cautious response to the pandemic is clearly popular with the electorate in WA,” StudyPerth’s Payne continued.
“But we know that the WA government is keen for the international education sector to emerge strongly and sustainably from the shadows of Covid-19 and be an important component of a diversified economy and a job creator.”
“We know that the WA government is keen for the international education sector to emerge strongly and sustainably from the shadows of Covid-19”
StudyPerth is collaborating with the WA government to ensure the state is “promoted assertively in our priority markets now, as prospective students consider their options for online study and when the borders re-open”.
“As one of the safest destinations in the world, we have a very compelling message,” Payne explained.
StudyPerth also received a boost this year when the WA Government secured Lotterywest funding for a number of StudyPerth Student Engagement and Support initiatives, he added.
StudyAdelaide recently held one of its four face-to-face ‘Camp Adelaide’ events around the globe. The camp in Guangzhou during a weekend in May sought to “bring Adelaide to our students in China”.
Similarly, Study Melbourne has been hosting free online events aiming to build employability and leadership skills as well as to connect with fellow students who are also studying online.
“StudyAdelaide’s focus is on supporting students, both onshore and offshore, working closely with our institutions… Our students in Adelaide are missing their families, and for those from countries where the virus cases are particularly high, they are naturally very concerned for the safety of their family and friends, but otherwise our students here are generally doing very well,” Kent explained.
“We acknowledge that for students waiting to return, they are likely to be anxiously waiting for news,” she added. Students are being encouraging to stay in close contact with their institution to receive up to date factual information.
“We’re fortunate in South Australia to have a very supportive government which is keen to see the safe return of international students to the state as soon as possible, and is working closely with the commonwealth to achieve that.”
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