Exploitation in Australia

Mr. Vayalar Ravi,
Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs
minister@moia.nic.in

Dear Minister,

We refer to the reports below for your information.

Sadly we have to agree with your comment about those unscrupulous employers who exploit those Overseas students. We have complained to the Immigration Minister for a number of times but to no avail. It is time the government stops this exploitation as it has been going on since the former Howard's days.

Yours respectfully,

Eddie Hwang
President
Unity Party WA
UnityPartyWA@westnet.com.au
www.unitywa.org
Ph/Fax: 61 893681884
Date: 12-Jan-2010.
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India calls for end to 'exploitation'
SUSHI DAS, NEW DELHI
January 11, 2010

THE crisis involving Indian international students has widened with the Indian Government calling for an end to the exploitation of students in Australia by dodgy colleges and greedy employers, on top of increased efforts to curb violent urban attacks.

Following a week of heated argument over whether attacks on students are racially motivated, India's Minister for Overseas Indian Affairs, Vayalar Ravi, focused attention on other problems that students face. He said Australia should crack down on unscrupulous college operators and employers who paid students less than the minimum wage.

''The Government must check that,'' he told The Age.

He said Australian police were quick to arrest students for visa violations, such as working more than the allowed 20 hours a week during term time, but did little to catch those responsible for exploiting them.

''If the Government can be so strict in arresting the students who work more than 20 hours because they are violating the law, why can't they arrest the employer who is not paying the minimum wage?'' he said.

The Indian and Australian governments were aware of bogus training colleges that effectively acted as visa factories, he said.

Mr Ravi said the Indian Government was trying to ''control'' the number of students enrolling at colleges suspected of operating for the express purpose of obtaining permanent residency in Australia rather than education.

In May last year The Age revealed concerns by senior Australian Government officials that widespread rackets among private trade colleges were ''out of control'' and undermining Australia's education, immigration and employment systems.

Complex networks linking colleges, migration agents and businesses indicated the involvement of organised crime, one official said.

The leading body of overseas student educators, the International Education Association of Australia, has also warned that criminal networks operating within Australia's $16.6 billion international education industry are abusing the system to smuggle people into the country.

More than 500 Indian nationals were refused student visas in the three months to September last year because of bogus financial documents, according to the Department of Immigration and Citizenship.

The private vocational education sector is bracing for more college closures following a sharp drop in Indian demand resulting from a visa crackdown, violent assaults and revelations of dodgy colleges.

Student visa applications from India fell by nearly half between July and October 2009 compared with the same period last year. A spokesman for the Global Organisation of People of Indian Origin, Munish Gupta, said Indians around the world were concerned about the attacks experienced by Indian students in Australia.

''We are also cognisant of the fact that all of the cases may not be racially motivated. We've seen similar incidents in the US, Canada, UK and other parts of the world,'' he said.

He said the rapid migration of students to Australia in the past four years had prompted an increase in colleges offering courses such as commercial cookery.

''Somewhere along the line the students from India got skewed in that direction,'' he said.

Sushi Das is in India as a guest of the Indian Government.

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Mr. Chris Evans,
Minister for Immigration,
minister@immi.gov.au

Dear Minister,

We just got hold of a copy of your: "2010-11 Migration Program Planning consultation with key State and Territory representatives" and while some of the proposals are welcome but there is no cure for those 457 visa workers who work over 60 hours/week but get pay for 38 hours because they have to sign a false weekly time sheet or else.

Overseas students get $10/hour or less is quite normal in the "services" industries and if the 10% DIAC staff reduction is introduced, the situation will get much worst.

We sincerely hope that you will do something about that as well.

We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Yours respectfully,

Eddie Hwang
President
Unity Party WA
UnityPartyWA@westnet.com.au
www.unitywa.org
Ph/Fax: 61 893681884
Date: 16-Dec-2009.
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