The Federal Government must show it understands and takes seriously the growing concerns about Australia's international education sector by establishing a dedicated parliamentary secretary, according to the Australian Greens.

Senator Sarah Hanson-Young, Greens spokesperson on Education, says the threat by the Indian Foreign Minister to warn students off coming to Australia is a wake-up call to the Rudd Government that it cannot ignore the sector's problems any longer.

"We know international education is in a mess, from students' concerns about their safety and possible exploitation, to the dodgy, unstable nature of some of the institutions they rely on for their courses,'' Senator Hanson-Young said.
"This sector is responsible for Australia's third-highest export revenues, and it is unacceptable that it does not even have a dedicated parliamentary secretary to deal with its growing complexity.

"The Greens have called for this change for some time, but it is clear that it is not good enough any more for international education to be lost in the shuffle of the mega-portfolio that is education.''

In contrast, the Victorian Government has just announced a new minister for respect, to help counteract the tensions that exist due to a string of recent attacks on Indian students.

"There has been a see-no-evil, hear-no-evil approach both from the Government towards the string of attacks on Indian students in Australia,'' Senator Hanson-Young said.

"Victoria's move only highlights the Federal Government's lack of action - when the Indian Foreign Minister is threatening to warn students off coming to Australia, there is a serious problem that needs to be dealt with, not downplayed.

"We need to find a better way to deal with the conflicts that international students are clearly experiencing here - the sector is in crisis and billions of dollars are at risk.''

The Greens call for the Federal Government to allocate funds for community support and anti-racism initiatives to tackle the issue of public attitudes to international students head-on.

"Only if we expose intolerance and discrimination when we see it, can we take effective action to stamp it out," Senator Hanson-Young concluded.

"We need the Federal Government to commit funds to a public awareness campaign to highlight the extraordinary contribution made by international students to Australia's culture and economy.''