Swinburne International Student Association

MIGRATION SEMINAR by Kabo Lawyer - 6th October
As usual, there were a good response from students who attended the seminar.

Swinburne Multicultural Festival 2006 - 28 August to 1 September
The event was a big success with more than 120 volunteers registered. Free food, performances and fun were the main attractions of the festival. The objective of such event was to promote greater multiculturalism awareness, understanding and tolerance in the university campuses. A great thanks goes to all the volunteers who helped to make this event possible.

Werribee Open Range Zoo Trip- Saturday 5 August
The trip was a big success with most of the tickets sold out in only 3 days. The trip was fun with games organised at the end of the trip.

After the trip, a free dinner was given to students at the International Lounge.

Movie Night: The Da Vinci Code - Tuesday 23 May
The event was a success with tickets sold out within one week. It was a night out away from stress for all students to relax before incoming exams.

MIGRATION SEMINAR by Newland Migration Law services- 16th May
We would like to extend our gratitude to Newland Migration services for their time to provide student with information about migration

Social & Business Networking Skills Seminar/workshops- 9th May
The seminar went well with students learning how to network and deal with potential employers.

MIGRATION SEMINAR by Kabo Lawyers- 2nd May
The migration seminar was a big success with more than 50 students attending the event.

Concession Card " Full Fare is not Fare " rally - 28 April

SISA thanks all students who attended the rally which went well without any incidents. This is only the beginning of our fight to provide equal opportunities for all students.

GREAT OCEAN ROAD TRIP

The trip to Great Ocean Road was a big successwithtickets sold out in just 2 days.

If you do not want to miss out our next event, check out our web site regularly for the latest information about events organised by SISA.

13th of October - SMF Volunteer Lunch and Presentation
12pm @ SISA Lounge
SISA appreciation lunch and presentation of certificates to volunteers of Swinburne Multicultural Festival 2006

13th of October - SISA AGM
• 1-3pm @ SISA Lounge
SISA’s annual general meeting, whereby students can come and listen to the activities that SISA have done and achieved in the past period. And to play a deciding role as to the future of SISA in 2007.

Free coffee & cakes for all participants

SISA committee members will be presenting their reports to the General student public on their accomplishments and succession plans for 2007.

18th of October - Stress Management workshop + Comedy Show
• 1-3pm @ EN 103
Stressed up over exam preparation ? Well if you are ? Pop over to our little event , which a jumbled up mix of work and pleasure.

Learn about how to manage stress effectively with techniques used by psychologist and then laugh your head off at our fair dinkum aussie stand up comedy !

Everyone’s invited, bring your Aussie friends to explain the really “ aussie” jokes !

Movie Night
Date : To be announced(TBA)

Exam time management skills
Date : To be announced(TBA)

End of the year Party
Date : To be announced(TBA)

May 8 - Tougher migration rules for students

Students from overseas who want to stay in Australia as skilled migrants will face tougher conditions in future.

They will need better English and improved vocational or on-the-job training before being granted permanent residency. This follows a report that found these students often lacked English language skill, work experience and vocational training.

The Government in 1999 changed the migration system to allow overseas students studying in Australia to apply after they graduated under the skilled migration program. In 2001-02, 5284 visas were issued in the main former student category; by 2004-05, 12,978 were issued.

They received extra points for their Australian qualifications, and did not have to fulfil the normal requirement of having had work experience in their nominated occupation.

The inquiry into the skilled migration program found employers said many skilled migrants lacked appropriate English proficiency for professional positions. It also found these former students mostly lacked on-the-job training and often their education had not contained a sufficient vocational component. For example, many had studied IT but did not have programming language skills.

Immigration Minister Amanda Vanstone said in future applicants for skilled migrant entry would have to meet a higher level of English language skill. There also would be greater emphasis on skilled work experience as a factor in the points test.

"This means that many former overseas students, who are currently exempt from work experience requirements when applying for skilled migration, will require some skilled work experience in order to qualify," she said. The Government would provide temporary visas to help students to gain work experience.

By Michelle Grattan - The Age
May 8, 2006

29 April - Met system racist: uni students

INTERNATIONAL university students are launching an equal opportunity claim against the State Government, arguing rules banning them from travel concession fares are racially discriminatory.

The complaint to Equal Opportunity Commission Victoria will claim foreigners who use public transport pay hundreds of dollars more each year than their domestic classmates due to race.

Campaign spokesman Pradeep Subramaniam said the complaint could lead to Victoria's overseas student population - more than 50,000 last year - taking separate legal action against the state if it was not willing to compromise.

"It's clearly a case of racial discrimination. There's no other basis on
which you cannot get concession if you are an undergraduate student," he said.

A daily inner-city Metcard costs $6.10 at full price or $3.20 with a
concession. A monthly pass is $49.10 cheaper with a concession card than without.

The discrimination complaint, to be lodged next week, comes at a time of growing disquiet in the international student sector.

Australia's $7.5 billion foreign education market is slowing after years of rapid growth in the face of increased competition from Asia and Europe. Last month 60 overseas students at Central Queensland University's Melbourne campus threatened to go on hunger strike, accusing the university of milking them for upfront fees by examining and failing them on material they were never taught. About 100 international students from different universities yesterday marched through the city before protesting outside Parliament.

They were inspired by a NSW tribunal last month finding similar travel
concession rules in that state breached anti-discrimination laws.

NSW and Victoria are the only states that require international students to pay full fare on trains, trams and buses. Victoria also bars postgraduate and part-time students from concessions.

Song Yee Ng, of the National Liaison Committee for International Students, said the fight for equality for foreign students had only just begun. "Even the state governments treat us like cash cows," she said.

Transport Minister Peter Batchelor's spokeswoman, Louise Perry, said
overseas students qualified for travel concessions if they were refugees, on exchange programs or held Australian development scholarships.

She said postgraduate and part-time students with low-income health care cards from Centrelink also paid concession rates.

"The State Government is committed to providing public transport concessions to students who are in genuine need," she said.

Ms Perry said it was puzzling that students campaigned over comparatively minor transport fares while staying quiet about massive upfront university fees.

Ms Ng said international students contributed to the economy through GST and payroll tax.

By Adam Morton - The Age
April 29, 2006