Why international students should fight for fair wage in Australia
Study International
Forty-three percent of international students earned less than AU$15 (US$12) an hour last year, and a quarter received less than half of the minimum wage, according to a survey called Wage Theft in Australia conducted by the National Temporary Migrant Work Survey.
Interestingly, the majority actually know they are being exploited. The study reveals that 73 percent of international students earning under the minimum wage are aware they are underpaid.
The question is: why do they do it?
“International students being illegally underpaid are unlikely to raise a fuss,” reasons Natasha Abrahams, president of the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations, in an Op-Ed for The Australian.
Read more: https://www.studyinternational.com/news/international-students-fight-fair-wage-australia/
International students at risk of exploitation at work
Natasha Abrahams, The Australian
As Australia welcomes record numbers of international students, we must face the pernicious issue of workplace exploitation that many of these students experience in their jobs.
International students are often unfamiliar with their rights in Australia. They may be struggling financially and fearful of having their visa revoked. These factors create a perfect storm in which this vulnerable population is exploited illegally for cheap labour by Australian businesses.
‘Just don’t do it’: debate on student-supervisor trysts
Sian Powell, The Australian
Vexed questions concerning “mutual consent” and “prohibition” are being debated in the drafting of a set of Universities Australia principles on voluntary sexual relationships between postgraduate students and their supervisors.
[…]
National President of the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations Natasha Abrahams said relationships between students and supervisors should be prohibited, but, “when they do happen, because they will, there needs to be procedures to follow that don’t stigmatise the student or disadvantage them in any way”.
It is understood that certain universities have already had discussions about developing policy concerning student-supervisor relationships, but little if anything has yet been finalised.
Ms Abrahams said that if supervisor-student relationships did happen, and if difficulties arose, universities should have procedures in place to deal with the situation.
“There needs to be ways of removing the student from the supervisor or the supervisor from the student, and ensuring that student’s research isn’t abandoned because of this relationship they have or had,” she said. “The majority of students do not experience very serious issues in their supervision relationships. That’s something I’m aware of: we don’t want to scare potential students.”
Simon Birmingham gives way on top-ups for student loans
Tim Dodd, The Australian
Federal Education Minister Simon Birmingham has eased the impact of the government’s planned cap on student loans, giving in to a push from Liberal senators to be more generous to students.
[…]
Student groups oppose the bill.
“If this comes into effect, graduates and students will be paying back their student loans when they are earning not much more than minimum wage,” said Natasha Abrahams, president of the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations.
Media release: Student loan bill resurrected, killing opportunity for future students
The National Union of Students (NUS) and the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) are deeply concerned that Government’s proposed changes to student loans may become a reality tomorrow afternoon. The proposed changes erode the character of the HECS-HELP system, going against its principle of enabling access for all Australians to obtain a university education if they have the inclination and the ability.
The Higher Education Support Legislation Amendment (Student Loan Sustainability) Bill 2018, having passed the House of Representatives, will likely be voted upon in the Senate tomorrow. Last year, senators stood up for students and voted against the earlier version of the bill. Now, the resurrected bill has returned, to be voted upon just before parliament breaks for Easter.
The legislation will force lower-earning graduates to start paying back their student loans when they are earning not much more than minimum wage, and locks students out from postgraduate degrees unless they can afford to pay a large deposit – of tens of thousands of dollars – upfront.
NUS and CAPA note that the changes could not even be agreed upon by the Liberal party, as their own senators suggested an amendment to the flawed bill to implement a loan balance cap, rather than a lifetime loan cap. This amendment fails to address the issue of the student loan changes disadvantaging young and lower or middle income Australians.
NUS and CAPA are furthermore concerned with the pace at which these changes have been introduced, with the Government trying to force the legislation through before the Easter break. This means that students and others in the sector have not had a fair chance to communicate their opposition to the changes.
“There already exist postgraduate courses which exceed the current FEE-HELP limit. By introducing a combined debt cap the Coalition government will be forcing students to take up dodgy private loans, or pay upfront for a postgraduate qualification. This is irrespective if a lifetime or debt cap is imposed”, said Mark Pace, NUS National President.
“Australia should be continuing to lead the way with our equitable HECS-HELP system. It has taken a long time to build our higher education system, but the Government is dismantling it for the sake of their myopic goal of short-term budget savings,” said Natasha Abrahams, CAPA National President.
The Coalition Government has pursued the controversial bill, despite overwhelming opposition from the Higher Education sector. If the Government is concerned about outstanding graduate debts, they should prioritise meaningful legislation to lift wages into the existing repayment thresholds.
NUS and CAPA encourage senators to stand with the over one million domestic students in Australia by voting to bury the bill.
For further comment:
NUS National President
Mark Pace
E: president@nus.asn.au
P: 0411 606 808
CAPA National President
Natasha Abrahams
E: president@capa.edu.au
Media release: CAPA disturbed by international students’ living conditions
25 March 2018 – The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) is horrified but not surprised at recent reports of international students in Australia enduring sub-standard living conditions.
On Friday, SBS reported on international students living in over-crowded apartments in Sydney. The report mentioned that international students – who are often unaware of their rights as tenants – are packed into small shared spaces, and paying unscrupulous landlords an extortionate amount of rent in the process.
CAPA is concerned that this is one of many ways in which international students are treated unfairly in Australia. In addition to enduring over-crowded living conditions, international students also contend with the issues of poverty, underpayment by shady employers, and discrimination from legitimate employers in their field.
The Government rejoices in the growing number of international students, but does little to protect these students’ rights under Australian law. The day before SBS’s exposé, the Minister for Trade Steven Ciobo celebrated an increase of 16% in education exports in 2016-17. Also, earlier this month, the Minister for Education Simon Birmingham announced that there was a record 624,000 international students in Australia in 2017. While the Government is happy to benefit from the massive amounts of money that international students bring to Australia, they have repeatedly failed in their duty of care to these students.
International students’ living conditions are compromised by a stunning lack of enforcement of Australian laws, as well as legislative failure. Alarmingly, some outrageously over-crowded dwellings exist within the bounds of the law.
“It is unacceptable for international students to be living in over-crowded, dangerous, and even illegal conditions,” said CAPA National President Natasha Abrahams, “With huge continuous growth in international students, a market has arisen for taking advantage of students’ basic needs such as housing and employment. An integrated, hard-line approach from the Government and from universities is needed to address this issue.”
For further comment:
CAPA National President
Natasha Abrahams
E: president@capa.edu.au
P: 0430 076 993
Media release: Even the Coalition can’t agree on Simon Birmingham’s Education Reforms
21 March 2018 – The National Union of Students (NUS) and the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) are encouraged by Liberal Party dissent on proposed changes to student loans, and renew their calls for crossbench senators to reject the legislation.
In the senate committee report released last week, Liberal senators took the unprecedented step of recommending that the lifetime student loan cap be scrapped.
By rejecting the idea of a lifetime loan cap, Liberal senators have dug a shallow grave for the proposed changes. However, the bill will not be buried without crossbench senators taking a stand, giving all Australians a fair chance at a university-level education.
The Liberal senators also affirmed their support for demand-driven funding, which was ended by the funding freeze implemented by the Minister for Education and Training just before Christmas last year.
“There seems to be significant confusion within the Liberal party on the demand-driven system. Liberal senators have acknowledged the importance of the demand-driven system, just months after MYEFO freezing of funding,” said Mark Pace, NUS National President.
“The senators are right to reject the lifetime loan cap, but have retained the aspects of the student loan legislation that are most damaging to low and middle income Australians. If the legislation passes, only the rich will be able to access advanced postgraduate degrees which lead to high paying careers,” said Natasha Abrahams, CAPA National President.
CAPA and NUS encourage students, graduates, and concerned parents to contact senators to oppose the legislation.
More information on the the Bury the Bill campaign and how to get involved can be found at: http://www.capa.edu.au/bury-bill-stop-government-changes-help-debts/
For further comment:
NUS National President
Mark Pace
E: president@nus.asn.au
P: 0411 606 808
CAPA National President
Natasha Abrahams
E: president@capa.edu.au
P: 0430 076 993
By Anish Saini, CAPA Vice President (National Operations Committee)
“Everyone belongs” are two simple words but they give out such a strong message.
To spread that message around, Harmony Day has this as its punchline. Harmony Day is a celebration of our cultural diversity – a day of cultural respect for everyone who call Australia home. It is held every year on 21 March and coincides with the United Nations International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination.
Harmony Day is widely celebrated across all university campuses and is usually a very festive day and students from all cultures and faiths get involved to make the day a success. Such display of unity in diversity re-enforces my faith in humanity. To me it says that we are all human beings before we are divided by our beliefs, religion, faiths, nationalities and even colour. This is something that we should never forget wherever we might go or with whomever we interact.
Days that celebrate diversity have become even more important in the current political atmosphere. From controversial leaders being elected as heads of state, to the resurgence of nationalistic parties in several countries, we are seeing more countries becoming insular. The travel ban which was brought on in the United States has caused heightened animosity which led to increase in the number of racial attacks and a vast number of people being told to go back to ‘their homes / countries’ and several others being shot at point blank range.
These racial attacks are not just limited to the US, but we have also seen a rise here in Australia too. First, there were reports of a Chinese woman being attacked in Sydney, then an Indian student was attacked in Tasmania and more recently are the offensive and racist flyers which were found in several universities in Melbourne. One of the news reports claim that the reason behind the resurgence of racial attacks in Australia is the ‘Trump effect’. Such racial attacks just re-affirm the views of racist leaders and encourage them to make more controversial and racist statements. And the cycle goes on and on.
Are we that naïve that the enforced viewpoint of one person makes us hate the person who does not look like us or believe in the same things as us? This rise of xenophobia needs to end and the responsibility to do that is on us. Universities are not only places of education but also places which promote and foster diversity. I believe every student and academic across campuses are wise enough to know the difference between right and wrong. No one needs to a superhero to take on racism head-on, but the need of the hour is to fight xenophobia one step at a time. The simplest that one can do is become more accepting towards the next persons’ thoughts, beliefs, culture, etc. If you see someone being racist towards someone, take it upon yourself to help the victim and educate the attacker.
These may all sound like very basic things that everyone is already aware of, but ask yourself how many times you have done any of the above or how many times have you shied away from a situation, just because you did not want get involved. Hence, begin with taking a pledge today that you will not be quiet anymore – but that you will fight racism in the loudest way possible, i.e. by showing solidarity. Brick by brick, hand in hand we will be able to cage racism. I leave you to ponder upon the great words of Nelson Mandela – “No one is born hating another person because of the colour of his skin, or his background or his religion. People learn to hate, and if they can learn to hate, they can be taught to love, for love comes more naturally to the human heart than its opposite.”
A debate not all universities will want: do students get value for money
Stephen Matchett, Campus Morning Mail
The Senate committee report on the government’s student loan legislation includes mention of expensive degrees universities would probably be happy not to see mentioned. Like this comparisons-are-odious example from the Labor senators’ report;
“Labor is very concerned about reckless fee setting. This was the case in the VET FEE HELP market and evidence from the University of Melbourne demonstrates that fees in higher education can easily exceed the current FEE HELP borrowing limit.”
And there was a signal of what could be included in Tanya Plibersek’s proposed post-secondary review; “Labor is concerned about a system which encourages maximum fee setting. A price signal needs to be accompanied by further reforms in this area as part of a broader inquiry into the post-secondary education system.”
Peak student bodies agree. ““There’s no justification for courses to exceed the existing FEE-HELP cap. Universities are seeking fat profits off postgraduate students who are saddled with student debt at levels never reached before,” the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations and the National Union of Students say.
Rejection looms for Australian student loan borrowing cap
John Ross, Times Higher Education
The Australian government’s proposal to impose lifetime limits on student loans appears set to fail, after the opposition vowed to block the measure – and even senators from the ruling Coalition wanted it changed.
[…]
The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations said this would not solve the fundamental problem, because it would force top students to interrupt their studies. “You would have to start working to get a headstart on your education,” said national president Natasha Abrahams.
“The change they propose makes sense but it [still] reduces the accessibility of higher education to people with less money. It shows there are deep problems with what’s being proposed, if even the Liberal [Coalition] senators can’t entirely agree with it.”
Read more: https://www.timeshighereducation.com/news/rejection-looms-australian-student-loan-borrowing-cap
Media release: Exorbitant Postgraduate Fees Rort Australian Students
15 March 2018 – The National Union of Students (NUS) and the Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations (CAPA) are deeply concerned by the exorbitant tuition fees of postgraduate courses for Australian students, and warn that upfront costs to students will soar under the Government’s new proposed changes to student loans.
Today the Department of Education and Training outlined 11 courses which exceed the current FEE-HELP debt cap of $102k. Students enrolled in these courses are forced to pay large sums of their course fees upfront, or seek private loans to finance the excess costs beyond the existing cap. The courses exceeding the FEE-HELP cap are predominantly postgraduate law and medical degrees costing as much as $280k at public universities, and up to $380k at the private Bond University.
“There’s no justification for courses to exceed the existing FEE-HELP cap. Universities are seeking fat profits off postgraduate students who are saddled with student debt at levels never reached before,” said Mark Pace, NUS National President.
This news comes as the Federal Government is pushing legislation which would see a combined lifetime loan cap, which incorporates undergraduate student debt. This would mean that more students, including many at public universities, would need to come up with large sums of money upfront through any means possible, including by taking private loans.
“A student should not need to make a downpayment on their degree at a public university. It is bad enough that young people are locked out of the real estate market; under the proposed legislation, they will also be locked out of postgraduate study unless they can afford tens or even hundreds of thousands of dollars upfront,” said Natasha Abrahams, CAPA National President.
The Department of Education and Training failed to provide any meaningful advice for students who reach their student debt limit, stating that this is a matter between the student and their university. With no relief from universities, the burden falls on the student to immediately find the money.
For further comment:
NUS National President
Mark Pace
E: president@nus.asn.au
P: 0411 606 808
CAPA National President
Natasha Abrahams
E: president@capa.edu.au
P: 0430 076 993
Students say no to HELP helping itself to low incomes
Stephen Matchett, Campus Morning Mail
Peak student groups have united to oppose the government’s student loan legislation. The Council of Australian Postgraduate Associations and the National Union of Students says the bill “will compromise access to higher education.”
The legislation, expected in the Senate next week, reduces the HELP debt repayment threshold from $55 000 to $45 000, with a starting 1 per cent repayment. It also caps total lifetime study debt at $104 000 for most courses.
“The number of graduates earning below the current repayment threshold reflects a failure of this government in providing a quality education. The solution is to adequately fund universities, not burden low income Australians with this government’s failures in higher education,” CAPA and NUS claim.
Read more: http://campusmorningmail.com.au/news/students-say-no-to-help-helping-itself-to-low-incomes/
