❓ The Minister for International Education provides an update on the StudyPerth student hub and outlines government support packages aimed at facilitating the return of international students to Western Australia, highlighting significant investment and positive outcomes.
AnsweredQoN 232Legislative Assembly
QuestionView source ↗
STUDYPERTH — STUDENT HUB
232. Mr C.J. TALLENTIRE to the Minister for International
Education:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to supporting the return of international
students to Western Australia.
(1) Can the minister update the
house on the new StudyPerth student hub?
(2) Can the
minister outline to the house how this government's significant
investment in other support packages is helping to ensure the return of
international students to Western Australia and to make sure that return is as
seamless as possible?
232. Mr C.J. TALLENTIRE to the Minister for International
Education:
I refer to the McGowan Labor
government's commitment to supporting the return of international
students to Western Australia.
(1) Can the minister update the
house on the new StudyPerth student hub?
(2) Can the
minister outline to the house how this government's significant
investment in other support packages is helping to ensure the return of
international students to Western Australia and to make sure that return is as
seamless as possible?
AnswerView source ↗
(1)–(2) Yes,
I can. I thank the member for Thornlie for his question. It is a very important
question. I want to assure the house that everything is being done to ensure
not only that our international student sector is strong, but also, of course, that international students to Western Australia
return. They are returning in their thousands because of the commitment
by the McGowan government to ensure that they are welcomed and supported when
they arrive.
Recently,
I attended the opening of the new StudyPerth student hub, which is in the
centre of the city. The hub will provide international students with
facilities to support them, allow them to connect with each other and assist them to enmesh themselves in the Western
Australian lifestyle. It will be strongly supported and encouraged. When
I was there, there was an opportunity to talk to a number of our education
sector representatives who were present and learn from them firsthand about the
increase in the number of international students for semester 1, and, of
course, they are also experiencing increased demand for semester 2 of this
year. Of course, the state government has announced and is implementing a range
of support mechanisms funded by significant funding. This is an important
consideration. As part of our $77 million state transition industry support
package, some $16 million of that is specifically focused on international
education and supports. That includes an industry support fund, which includes
a $6 million provision to medium and small–sized international
education providers. This allows for between $50 000 and $100 000 to assist
those small and medium providers to ensure that they can continue to build and
strengthen as they seek to support and encourage international student numbers.
An $8 million student quarantine support program has been provided and a $2 million
university support services for students program, as well.
I want to highlight that as soon as
we announced these very important measures, the take-up has already been quite remarkable . I want
to highlight an example of that. The accommodation subsidy and the English language intensive courses for overseas
students—ELICOS—bursary are also open, through these programs by the McGowan government, for international students to apply. Since last
Friday, already, over 1 200 applications have been received. The airport
welcome desks—I know that the Minister for Tourism has been to the welcome
desk at the airport—opened on 3 March. They are located in terminal 1
and terminals 3 and 4 at Perth Airport and continue to operate and welcome
international students who arrive on those international flights. The students
are met upon arrival by StudyPerth team members—I want to pay tribute
to the StudyPerth team members—and are greeted by an international
student greeter. All of this is focused on making sure that we continue to
position Western Australia as the place to come to study at our outstanding
educational facilities and educational institutions here. If students are
seeking to learn English, they can come across through our ELICOS program to do
that. Of course, we are also focused on looking at new markets and
strengthening existing markets, so that work will continue.
We all know that Western Australia is
a great place to live and work, but we want to open that up to even more
international students to come here to the safest place on earth to live, work,
study and learn, because we know that those international students ensure that
we have an even more diverse and vibrant community. That is what they bring to
this community when they come across to Western Australia. We welcome them; we
have welcomed them with a huge investment in international education, and it is
now paying off, because we are seeing thousands and thousands of students
enrolling and making their way back to Western Australia, and I am looking
forward to those numbers improving as we move forwards towards semester 2. I can assure members that in terms of market, we
will be in market with those countries and selling Western Australia to
them as a great place to come and learn and live and enjoy what this
magnificent state has to offer.
The SPEAKER : The member for
Roe with the last question.
I can. I thank the member for Thornlie for his question. It is a very important
question. I want to assure the house that everything is being done to ensure
not only that our international student sector is strong, but also, of course, that international students to Western Australia
return. They are returning in their thousands because of the commitment
by the McGowan government to ensure that they are welcomed and supported when
they arrive.
Recently,
I attended the opening of the new StudyPerth student hub, which is in the
centre of the city. The hub will provide international students with
facilities to support them, allow them to connect with each other and assist them to enmesh themselves in the Western
Australian lifestyle. It will be strongly supported and encouraged. When
I was there, there was an opportunity to talk to a number of our education
sector representatives who were present and learn from them firsthand about the
increase in the number of international students for semester 1, and, of
course, they are also experiencing increased demand for semester 2 of this
year. Of course, the state government has announced and is implementing a range
of support mechanisms funded by significant funding. This is an important
consideration. As part of our $77 million state transition industry support
package, some $16 million of that is specifically focused on international
education and supports. That includes an industry support fund, which includes
a $6 million provision to medium and small–sized international
education providers. This allows for between $50 000 and $100 000 to assist
those small and medium providers to ensure that they can continue to build and
strengthen as they seek to support and encourage international student numbers.
An $8 million student quarantine support program has been provided and a $2 million
university support services for students program, as well.
I want to highlight that as soon as
we announced these very important measures, the take-up has already been quite remarkable . I want
to highlight an example of that. The accommodation subsidy and the English language intensive courses for overseas
students—ELICOS—bursary are also open, through these programs by the McGowan government, for international students to apply. Since last
Friday, already, over 1 200 applications have been received. The airport
welcome desks—I know that the Minister for Tourism has been to the welcome
desk at the airport—opened on 3 March. They are located in terminal 1
and terminals 3 and 4 at Perth Airport and continue to operate and welcome
international students who arrive on those international flights. The students
are met upon arrival by StudyPerth team members—I want to pay tribute
to the StudyPerth team members—and are greeted by an international
student greeter. All of this is focused on making sure that we continue to
position Western Australia as the place to come to study at our outstanding
educational facilities and educational institutions here. If students are
seeking to learn English, they can come across through our ELICOS program to do
that. Of course, we are also focused on looking at new markets and
strengthening existing markets, so that work will continue.
We all know that Western Australia is
a great place to live and work, but we want to open that up to even more
international students to come here to the safest place on earth to live, work,
study and learn, because we know that those international students ensure that
we have an even more diverse and vibrant community. That is what they bring to
this community when they come across to Western Australia. We welcome them; we
have welcomed them with a huge investment in international education, and it is
now paying off, because we are seeing thousands and thousands of students
enrolling and making their way back to Western Australia, and I am looking
forward to those numbers improving as we move forwards towards semester 2. I can assure members that in terms of market, we
will be in market with those countries and selling Western Australia to
them as a great place to come and learn and live and enjoy what this
magnificent state has to offer.
The SPEAKER : The member for
Roe with the last question.
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