The defunding has provoked criticisms, particularly as it adds to the mounting issues faced by this group, including affordable housing and the burden of elevated living costs following the restoration of restricted working hours.
The defunding has provoked criticisms, particularly as it adds to the mounting issues faced by this group, including affordable housing and the burden of elevated living costs following the restoration of restricted working hours.
Government funding for the International Students Intake, Assessment, Referral, and Support Services in Australia’s New South Wales has been discontinued as the disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic gradually subsides.
The defunding has provoked criticisms, particularly as it adds to the mounting issues faced by this group, including affordable housing and the burden of elevated living costs following the restoration of restricted working hours.
The service, known as IAR, served a vital role during the pandemic by assisting hundreds of students, chiefly from India, Nepal, and the Philippines. Now, there are apprehensions that these students may struggle to find help in a crisis without the support of this service.
In 2021, the Sydney Community Forum, in conjunction with StudyNSW, launched the IAR with an AUD120,000 (around $80,000) grant. They developed a comprehensive website providing students access to the service. In its inaugural year, the IAR helped more than 440 international students.
According to the Forum, about 70 percent of these students were pursuing degree-level education, while 29 percent were enrolled in vocational education and training courses.
Asha Ramzan, the Sydney Community Forum spokesperson, emphasized the IAR’s importance in supporting international students. She pointed out that the service’s withdrawal, especially during a cost-of-living crisis, could have grave implications. She warned that the problems plaguing these students—like workplace exploitation, discrimination in the housing market, and difficulties in accessing services—won’t cease when the financial year ends.
“Defunding will halt our capacity to aid international students grappling with these crises,” she said, stressing the economic contribution of international students. In 2020, the sector injected over AUD11.4 billion (around $7.6 billion) into the NSW economy and created 95,000 full-time equivalent jobs.
Despite the IAR’s defunding, the NSW government assured that other services would continue. In an email to SBS Hindi, the government stated that other safety net services, such as the International Student Legal Service and NSW Jobs Connect for International Students, would persist in collaboration with partner organizations, ensuring ongoing assistance to international students.
