INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

The Hon. J.S. LEE (15:48): I rise today to speak about the contributions of the higher education sector in South Australia. For 20 years I have been actively involved with many community organisations, universities, student associations and private companies in the education sector to promote South Australia as the education destination for overseas students. The international education industry is now South Australia's No.1 service export. According to the Australian Bureau of Statistics, the international education industry contributed $892 million to the South Australian economy in 2008-09, which is a 22 per cent increase from the year before.

My recent meeting with executives and professionals in the education sector, including Education Adelaide and various universities, highlighted to me that South Australia continues to build on its reputation for education excellence, with research showing that an increasing number of international students are choosing Adelaide as their preferred study destination. More importantly, Adelaide is considered a safe city for parents and students. I will share some of the findings given to me by Education Adelaide.

Adelaide continues to attract record numbers of international students, with more than 33,000 choosing Adelaide as their study destination in 2009. International education accounts for more than 6,500 local jobs and is the state's largest service sector export and the fourth largest overall export, according to the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade. International students pay full fees for all courses and student spending contributes greatly to our economy.

In addition, international education offers multiple spin-offs and benefits for South Australia's tourism sector. Family members of overseas students will at some stage visit them during the duration of their study in Adelaide. An estimated 90,000 trips per year through Adelaide Airport are undertaken by international students, with a total travel spend of about $10.1 million per year, which is significant.

The majority—88 per cent—of South Australia's international students come from Asia. Key markets include China, India, Malaysia, South Korea, Vietnam, Hong Kong, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Singapore and Nepal. China and India continued to boom in 2009, growing by about 21.4 per cent and 48.5 per cent respectively. Students from those two countries comprise over 50 per cent of the total number of overseas students studying in South Australia.

Earlier I mentioned that safety is very important for overseas students. South Australia needs to protect its reputation in providing not only educational excellence and a quality lifestyle but a safe destination. Two months ago I met with the National Liaison Committee for International Students in Australia, the national peak body for all international students. The primary focus of this meeting was to raise awareness of international students' safety, both on and off campus, and engage all industry stakeholders on a central platform to address the safety concerns of the international student community.

During the meeting I was shocked and saddened to find out that 62 international students died while studying in Australia between November 2007 and November 2008. The Chinese community continue to deal with the tragic rape and murder of a young Chinese student in New South Wales and the horrifying murder of another Chinese student in Tasmania. Last year, 2009, also saw a sudden escalation of violence targeting Indian students in Melbourne, with brutal assaults, robberies and murders dominating news headlines across the world. The Indian community across Australia have come together to protect the children and young adults of the community.

While Adelaide is seen as a safe destination now, we really need to maintain this reputation to protect the growth of the international student industry and to capture and maintain our share of the market, so we must remind the government to address the increased crime rate and violent incidents in the city so that the international student market in Adelaide and South Australia will be protected.

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