Give foreign students travel discounts6th February 2007, 21:59 WST The federal government is pressuring the NSW government to offer transport concessions for 80,000 foreign students, in a move that would cost the state's taxpayers $13 million.
Federal Education Minister Julie Bishop said she had been urged by the her Malaysian counterpart to provide the subsidy for foreign students.
News Ltd newspapers reported she had written to NSW Transport Minister John Watkins asking the his government to fund the scheme.
Concession rates for overseas students were abolished last year and Mr Watkins said his government would prefer to spend the money elsewhere.
"Ms Bishop's ego is writing cheques the NSW government simply won't cash," he told News Ltd.
"If we can allocate additional money to transport concessions then we'll be giving it to seniors, students, veterans and people with a disability - not international students who shell out $40,000 per degree and then expect a free ride."
Ms Bishop said the international education industry contributed $10 billion to the nation's economy - including $3.4 billion to NSW.
AAP Foreign students $13m ride
By Joe Hildebrand
February 07, 2007
THE Federal Government is pressuring the State Government to spend $13
million of taxpayers' money on transport concessions for 80,000 foreign
students.
Education Minister Julie Bishop wrote to Transport Minister John Watkins
asking him to fund the subsidy for international students after she was
urged to by the Malaysian Education Minister.
The move has prompted warnings from Mr Watkins that Australian concession
card holders such as the elderly and disabled could end up with their
entitlements cut if the Commonwealth had its way.
The Government under more financial pressure than ever abolished
concession rates for overseas students last year despite a ruling from the
Administrative Decisions Tribunal that the move was discriminatory.
But Mr Watkins said other vulnerable groups would be affected if the
Government did not cancel the concession entitlements for foreigners.
"Ms Bishop's ego is writing cheques the NSW Government simply won't cash,"
he told The Daily Telegraph. "If we can allocate additional money to
transport concessions then we'll be giving it to seniors, students, veterans
and people with a disability not international students who shell out
$40,000 per degree and then expect a free ride."
Before being accepted into Australia, overseas students are required to sign
a declaration stating they are fully self-sufficient and not reliant on any
taxpayer funding.
Even the Federal Government refuses to offer them concessions or subsidies
such as Austudy or Medicare.
But in her letter, dated October 12 and obtained by The Daily Telegraph, Ms
Bishop said she was urging the Government to overturn its policy following
"representations made to me by the Malaysian Minister for Education".
She said the international education industry contributed $10 billion to the
Australian economy and $3.4 billion to NSW.
"It is in the best interests of this industry that all levels of government
work together to ensure that Australia is the most attractive location for
international students regardless of their final destination in-country,"
she said.
http://www.news.com.au/dailytelegraph/story/0,22049,21181617-5001021,00.html 
