At present there are around 400,000 persons of Indian descent in Australia which is over two per cent of the Australian population. Indian community is Australia’s fourth biggest migrant community, and students are a significant proportion of that. But in the year 2010 there was a sharp decline of about 30% in the Indian students’ migration to Australia. Indian students generally head for higher education to Australia.

In the year 2009 approximately 120,000 Indian students had enrolled in Australian educational institutions. But enrolment is one and actual commencement is another, as the Australian government calls it. According to the figures of the Australian Ministry of Education the actual commencements in 2009 were 67,974. In 2010, between January and November 2010 the enrolments were 100,236 and the actual commencements were 42,447. So, approximately there has been a dip of 30%.

Migration of Indian students to Australia was on the increase till the series of recent violent attacks. Much of this increase took place in the vocational education sector. The incidences of violent attacks are no doubt the main reason for the decline in migration of Indian students to Australia. Some, however, attribute it to the education becoming costly in Australia due to the Australian dollar firming up to the level of almost one to one with the US dollar.

India and Australia have worked in close concert to tackle this issue. A series of steps are being taken by Australia on whether it is more policing, whether it is more patrolling, whether it is audit of educational institutions, whether it is review of visa procedures, establishment of helpline, counseling. But much of the responsibility of maintaining law and order rests with the provincial governments in Australia.

The Indian government has also taken quite a few measures to address the concern. It has introduced Bills in Parliament seeking to punish those who have provided false or misleading information to student and make it mandatory for all education agents to register themselves. It has proposed that all Indian students proceeding abroad for studies enter their details with the government. The government has recently introduced the Indian Community Welfare Fund to provide financial assistance to Indian citizens in need and this has been used to assist several needy citizens and students in Australia.

The issue of violent attacks of Indian students was raised by the Indian Minister of External Affairs, SM Krishna with the Australian Foreign Minister, Kevin Rudd during recent visit to Australia, this month.

Both Krishna and Rudd in their joint statement of January 20, 2011 welcomed the Council of Australian Governments’ International Students Strategy for Australia, launched in October 2010, and progress with implementation of recommendations from the Baird Review of the Education Services for Overseas Students Act to improve further the experience of international students in Australia. This includes strengthening students’ consumer protection rights and cooperation between the two countries to support the regulation of education agents.

The next meeting of India-Australia Joint Working Group on Education and Training is expected to be held in Australia in April 2011 and the annual dialogue of the minister of the both the countries on education will be hosted in India in September 2011. These two meetings will take stock of the situation. This will also pave the way for setting up of the Australia-India Education Council.

The changes in the skilled migration programme had significantly impacted on Indian students already studying in Australia, many of whom had taken heavy loans to pursue their studies. Krishna raised this issue with Rudd and requested consideration of Indian students who had come to Australia under the old rules being placed in a special category that allowed them to fulfill the demand that existed
in Australia for their skills.

Rudd noted the components of the February 8, 2010 changes to skilled migration in Australia and highlighted the generous transition arrangements for most holders of international student visas at the time of the changes. Rudd also noted Australia’s review of its student visa program, announced in December 2010 and expected to be completed in mid-2011.

Issues of concern for Indian students are security, availability of accommodation and other support services, transport concession, greater financial assistance, regulation of rogue agents and dodgy institutions and introduction of effective orientation and assimilation processes both in India and Australia.

Krishna also discussed the issue of safety and security of Indian stidents in Australia with the new Premier of Victoria Province, Ted Baillieu who had made the law and order situation in Melbourne as one of the major issues of his election campaign. Baillieu had reportedly assured him that the safety and security of the Indian community will continue to be addressed pro-actively and that he had already initiated moves to increase the number of police and guards on the transport system, introduce tougher sentencing, improve the system of compensating victims of crime.

The India- Australia relationship is underpinned by diverse and growing people-to-people links. The Indian community in Australia, particularly those in higher jobs, are making a most valuable contribution to building Australian society. Cultural and artistic links continue apace. The Indian Council for Cultural Relations has been increasingly supporting these links. In November 2010, it sponsored a Rajasthani folk music and dance troupe to visit 9 cities in Australia including towns hitherto not covered such as Townsville and Ballarat. 2012 has been designated as the Year of Australia in India. But despite all these efforts and gestures, unfortunately, the misery of Indian students in Australia still continue.

Australia is no doubt a valuable strategic partner and friend of India. Australia is India’s strategic partner in ensuring maritime security in the Indian Ocean. Australia has defence policy dialogue with India. The Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters Treaty and the Extradition Treaty between both the countries have come into effect from January 29, 2011. Australia is supportive of India’
candidature for the permanent membership of the UN Security Council and membership of APEC and FATF.

India is negotiating for procuring rich deposits of uranium in Australia for meeting the needs of its nuclear energy programme. Indian companies have shown keen interest in sourcing LNG from Australia and investing in oil and gas sector in that country. India-Australia Energy and Mineral Forum has been set up and its first biennial meeting was held in Perth in 2010 and five strategic action plans on coal, new and renewable energy, mining and minerals, power and petroleum and natural gas have been initiated. Both the countries have cooperation in science and technology

India depends upon Australia for imports of gold, coal, lentils, copper, lead and wool. India has a large trade deficit with Australia which needs to be rectified.

India and Australia meet in several global fora like G20, East Asia Summit, Asian Regional Forum, Commonwealth and SAARC in which Australia is an Observer.

India should carefully leverage this valuable strategic partnership to resolve the plight of Indian students in Australia.